Patriots punch ticket to district semifinals

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The eighth-seeded Olentangy Liberty girls basketball team cruised to its second lopsided win of the postseason Friday night in Powell, rolling past 41st-seeded Mifflin 65-12.

Jordan Rich broke the scoring seal with a three-pointer less than a minute in and, after three quick points from Taylor Redman, who scored inside and split a pair of free throws, Rich scored in transition off a nice outlet pass from Gigi Bower to give the Patriots (18-5) a quick 8-0 edge with 5:27 left in the opening quarter.

Delores Woodyard got her team on the board with a pair of free throws, but that’s as close as the shorthanded Punchers, who played with just five players, would get as Liberty closed the quarter on a 16-4 run.

The Patriots, who led 49-8 at halftime, outscored Mifflin 10-3 in the third quarter and 6-1 in the fourth to smooth out the scoring summary.

Rich led the way with 14 points while Redman finished with 10 and Lindy Ardner rounded out the team’s top three with eight.

Kayla Houston led the Punchers with seven points in the setback.

Next up, Liberty will take on fifth-seeded Gahanna Lincoln in Wednesday’s district semifinal.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Delaware Hayes closed out the regular season with a league win, knocking off visiting Franklin Heights 57-50 Friday night in Delaware.

The Pacers used a big second half to pull away, scoring 21 points in the third quarter and 20 more in the fourth to erase a 22-16 halftime deficit.

Jesse Burris scored a team-best 18 points while Hezekiah Russell added 15. Jake Lowman was also solid in the win, closing with 11 points.

The Golden Falcons’ Billy Berry led all scorers with 19 points.

Marysville 45, Olentangy 35

The host Monarchs used a 10-7 second quarter and 15-7 third to turn a one-point lead after one into a late-game cushion they parlayed into a league win over the Braves Friday night in Marysville.

Jack Huskey led Olentangy with 12 points while Andrew Boyle added nine.

Kade Foch and Dane Johnson had 12 and 11 points, respectively, for Marysville.

Thomas Worthington 58, Olentangy Berlin 51

The Bears used a 20-15 third to take a 40-35 lead into the final quarter, but the host Cardinals closed things out with a 23-11 fourth Friday night in Worthington.

Derek Goodman had 12 points while Isaiah Brown and Jason Inbody finished with 11 apiece for Berlin.

Joey Zalewski led Thomas with 14 points in the win.

Olentangy Liberty’s Jordan Rich beats a Mifflin defender down the floor for a layup during the first half of Friday’s Division I sectional final in Powell.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2022/02/web1_rich.jpgOlentangy Liberty’s Jordan Rich beats a Mifflin defender down the floor for a layup during the first half of Friday’s Division I sectional final in Powell. Ben Stroup | The Gazette

By Ben Stroup

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