The Delaware Hayes girls basketball team continues to cruise, most recently knocking off visiting Big Walnut 50-37 in Friday’s OCC-Capital Division showdown in Delaware.
The Pacers (12-3, 7-2), who picked up their eighth straight win and maintained their second-place position in the league standings, used a nice blend of offense and defense to get the upper hand early.
Samantha Toney scored inside and Porter Barickman and Sara Dudley connected from deep as Hayes built an early lead. A Jordan Walters triple got the Golden Eagles (9-7, 4-5) a little closer, but it was the only shot from the floor Hayes allowed in the first four-plus minutes of the game.
Big Walnut got within two on a couple of occasions in the second quarter, using triples from Walters and Abbey Coleman to hang around, but the Pacers finished the half on a high note to go into the locker room with a 24-17 lead — an advantage they only added to in the second half.
Hayes won the third and fourth quarters by identical 13-10 margins to smooth out the scoring summary.
Sophia Midura and Barickman led a balanced offensive attack with 12 points apiece. Toney added nine and Chloe Jeffers finished with eight in the win.
Big Walnut got 12 points from Walters and five apiece from Coleman and Mel Sena in the setback.
Olentangy Berlin 43, Olentangy 37
The Bears used an 11-4 second quarter to flip an early deficit into a lead they parlayed into an OCC-Cardinal Division win over the visiting Braves Friday night in Delaware.
Abbie Bell scored a game-best 14 points to pace Berlin while Olentangy got 11 points apiece from Paige Pawlikowski and Camryn Cummings.
Also: Hilliard Davidson 43, Olentangy Orange 32; Dublin Coffman 53, Olentangy Liberty 46.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Olentangy’s Reid Apke hit a game-tying three in the final minute for the second time this season, but, for the second time this season, it didn’t translate to a win as Olentangy Berlin scored six of the first seven points of overtime to secure a 65-63 league win Friday night in Lewis Center.
The Braves’ Jack Huskey converted a four-point play, hitting a three and the ensuing free throw to make it a 64-63 game late in the extra session, but the Bears hung on. Mathias Abenet split a pair at the line to smooth out the scoring summary.
The Braves were sharp early, using a 20-11 second quarter to claim a 34-23 halftime lead. The Bears slowly clawed back in the second half, though, winning the third 15-10 and the fourth 18-12 to force OT.
Abenet virtually lived at the line, hitting 13 of his 16 free throws on the way to a team-best 23 points. Jason Inbody was also steady for Berlin, closing with 18 points while Derek Goodman chipped in 10.
Huskey led all scorers with 25 points while Apke had 15 in the setback.
Olentangy Liberty 52, Dublin Coffman 50
Cooper Davis calmly connected on a pair of free throws with a fraction of a second left to lift the Patriots to a thrilling league win over the visiting Shamrocks Friday night in Powell.
Coffman’s Ajay Sheldon, who finished with a game-high 28 points, hit a three-pointer to tie things at 50 with 1.5 seconds left in regulation.
He then fouled Davis at half court with .5 left, though, and Davis took care of the rest.
Davis had four threes on the way to a team-leading 22 points while Trey Majidzadeh ran the offense and went 7-for-9 from the free throw line on his way to a 17-point night for Liberty.
Mason Maggs backed Sheldon with 10 points for Coffman.
Also: Olentangy Orange 49, Hilliard Davidson 25.
