There’s not a lot Delaware Hayes senior co-captain Chloe Jeffers hasn’t accomplished in her time with the Pacers.
One thing that’s proved elusive, though, has been a tournament win. That all changed Tuesday night in Delaware as Jeffers broke her own school record for points in a game, scoring 41 to lead Hayes to a convincing 77-41 Division I sectional semifinal win over visiting Thomas Worthington.
Most of those points came in the first half as the 10th-seeded Pacers, who hadn’t won a tournament game as a program for nearly a decade, set the tone with a 22-6 first quarter.
Jeffers hit a three-pointer on the way to nine first-quarter points while fellow co-captain Sophia Midura scored eight in the opening quarter thanks to a pair of triples of her own.
Jeffers, who hit a jumper to close the first, opened the second the same way. Thomas’ Kira Correale capped a quick 5-0 run with a transition hoop to give her team some life, but Jeffers promptly sank another three to push the Pacers’ edge to 27-11 with 5:55 left in the half. Another Jeffers three, this time to beat the second-quarter buzzer, gave her 26 points and Hayes a commanding 48-21 lead at the break.
The 26th-seeded Cardinals showed some fight in the third, outscoring the Pacers 12-10 thanks in part to eight points from Josie Tinnerello, but were never able to make a game of things.
NeNe Garner scored in transition early in the fourth, but Jeffers answered with a three. A few minutes later, a hoop off her own steal with 2:44 left gave the Butler commit the new single-game scoring mark.
Midura backed Jeffers with 17 points while Samantha Toney added 11.
Tinnerello and Alayna Rick led Thomas with 11 points apiece in the setback.
Next up, Hayes will host 12th-seeded Watkins Memorial in Saturday’s sectional final. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
Olentangy Liberty 71, Pickerington North 27
Gigi Bower hit six three-pointers on the way to a 25-point night to lead the host and eighth-seeded Patriots to a dominant Division I sectional semifinal win over the 38th-seeded Panthers Tuesday night in Powell.
Liberty led 20-4 by the end of the first quarter and 48-10 by the break.
Jordan Rich backed Bower with 16 points while Taylor Redman added 10. Adi Dorman led North with 12 points.
With the win, the Patriots will host 41st-seeded Mifflin in Friday’s sectional final. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
Delaware Christian 46, Granville Christian 43
DCS picked up its second win in as many days Tuesday, outlasting host Granville Christian in its final MOCAL game of the regular season.
Katie Neuhart, the lone senior on the team, had a huge game during Monday’s Senior Night — a 48-36 win over visiting Genoa Christian — scoring 26 points to go with 11 rebounds, eight steals and a block.
She followed it up with an equally impressive 27-point effort against Granville Christian. Ellie Tiede and Addy Beard were also solid in the win, finishing with nine and six points, respectively.
Westerville South 54, Olentangy Berlin 21
The host and sixth-seeded Wildcats used a 24-0 second-quarter surge to all but seal the deal en route to a Division I sectional semifinal win over the 29th-seeded Bears Tuesday night in Westerville.
South’s Tamara Ortiz led all scorers with 19 points while Berlin’s Abbie Bell had 10 in the setback.
Also: Hilliard Davidson 47, Big Walnut 36 (Division I sectional semifinal); Canal Winchester 43, Olentangy Orange 23 (Division I sectional semifinal); Pickerington Central 60, Olentangy 24 (Division I sectional semifinal); Bloom-Carroll 36, Buckeye Valley 32 (Division II sectional semifinal).
