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Around the OCC: A look at Friday's action

By Dominic Contini, 12/07/19, 11:30AM EST

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We take a look at Friday's games in the OCC

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Boomshakalaka! OCC League play is heating up, let's dive right into all the fire games from Friday night in the state's biggest conference.


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Buckeye

Olentangy Liberty 57, Olentangy Orange 51

Orange was the only OCC-Buckeye team to beat Liberty during their historic run last year and Friday the Patriots were not going to let that happen again. The Patriots controlled most of the game. Halfway through the third, Liberty was up 14 and it was looking like it could get ugly until Orange’s Andre Irvin heated up. Irvin had the game high 19 but the Pioneers comeback was a little too late to get over the hump. 

Irvin pulled out this insane side step crossover step back a couple times, making defenders go all sorts of directions. Tight handle, great shot, and a great offensive iq. Also his quickness, makes his opponent extra careful not to get their pocket picked.

An overall great team effort for Liberty as big games from Henry Hinkle, Cam Barcus, Andrew Wade and Kal Jayaraman led the Patriots to their first victory on the season. Wade played really well, as the junior forward has a great motor and does not take a play off - impacting the game with his shot blocking ability and post scoring savvy. 

Olentangy Liberty heads back home Tuesday, with a matchup against the Monarchs from Marysville.

Olentangy Orange travels to undefeated Big Walnut on Tuesday, as the Eagles are coming off an upset win at Canal Winchester on Friday. 

 Westerville South 65, Olentangy 58

The Braves were coming off one of the craziest games in program history against Briggs, as the Braves went into a quadruple overtime game with a final score of 112-106. It was another close battle tonight for Olentangy on Friday against Westerville South. The Braves were never able to get over the seven-point deficit mark throughout the game but put up a good fight. Westerville South did not let Ethan Smith stay hot coming off his career-high 30 points on Wednesday, holding him to just seven on Friday. 

For the Wildcats, juniors Peter Pedrozo and Jaiden Guice and sophomore Drey Carter combined for 51 points, showing the potential that the trio has on the offensive end. The Braves had solid nights from Josiah Seymour, Jake Elmore and Austin Brown combining for 36 points.

Olentangy travels to Dublin Coffman on Tuesday in what should be an intriguing non-league showdown. I’ll be live from Coffman for that matchup to take a look at two young teams with plenty of backcourt talent.

For the Wildcats, one of the best guards in Ohio comes to town on Tuesday, as Sean Jones and Gahanna will pay a visit to Westerville South.

Westerville Central 50, Westerville North 42

In a Battle of the Ville, Central continued their impressive 3-1 start, taking down rival North at home on Friday. Juniors Quincy Clark and Tasos Cook scored in double figures, combining for 24 points to pace the Warhawk offense. 

Wth the win, Central will look to stay hot as it heads to Upper Arlington for a road test on Tuesday.

North will need to bounce back quickly after the loss with a matchup against Bishop Watterson on deck on Saturday.

CAPITAL

Newark 69, New Albany 55

Four players in double figures for Newark is the headline for Fridayt's game. Drew Ballinger led all scorers with 24 points while Jaden Woods, Kade Bafford and Bobby Crenshaw combined for 38 to round out what was a strong performance for the Wildcats.

Holding a two-point lead at the half, Newark was challenged in the third quarter by New Albany, losing the lead for a short period of time. However, a 26-point fourth quarter fueled the Wildcats’ victory, as Newark takes a commanding lead just one night into OCC-Capital play with Canal Winchester going down at home.

For New Albany, sophomore Justin Perry had a breakout showing with 22 points, as he Chris Benseler and Jaden Lewis combined for 45 of the Eagles’ 55 points in the loss. 

Newark heads to the Burg to face a very solid Reynoldsburg team on Tuesday in what might be the best game of the night.

New Albany travels to Westerville North on Tuesday for a matchup of two teams licking their wounds from Friday night losses.

Big Walnut 59, Canal Winchester 53

Big Walnut is looking for more respect on their name after this 3-0 start, as the Eagles picked up their best win in the OCC-Capita since realignment prior to the 2016-17 season, upsetting Canal Winchester on the road. 

Pulling away in the fourth quarter, Big Walnut relied on the scoring of Jared Kreager and Kegan Hienton to complete the upset. Combining for 37 points, Kreager and Hienton helped Big Walnut notch its signature win early in the season, as the Eagles are one of the area’s biggest surprises at 3-0. 

For Canal Winchester, senior Bilal Sow was the only offensive threat in the night, finishing with a team-high 21 points.

Big Walnut looks to stay undefeated Tuesday in a big matchup with Olentangy Orange.

For Canal Winchester, they’ll look to get back on track as they travel to Central Crossing on Tuesday. 

Groveport 52, Franklin Heights 46

Groveport ends a successful football season as regional runner ups and starts the 2019-20 basketball campaign with a win. Tymire Jones led the Cruisers to the win with a career-high 19 points in the backcourt. A fast start helped the Cruisers gain a lead fast to keep for the rest of the game. Senior guard Mo Fofana scored 20 points in the loss for the Falcons.

It is a long weekend for Groveport, with back to back road games. The Cruisers travel to Hilliard Darby on Saturday to attempt to pick up back-to-back wins.

The Falcons travel to Gove City for a matchup against Brock Waits and the Dawgs next week.

CARDINAL

Hilliard Bradley 49 , Thomas Worthington 46

Friday's showdown was the 270 Hoops Game of the Week and a battle of two of the best teams in Central Ohio. Thankfully, the showdown between the two Cardinal division rivals lived up to the hype.  It was close all game and came down to the final shot. Omari Effiong had an open look at the top of the key to send it to overtime but it was off, as Hilliard Bradley took down Thomas Worthington on the road. 

The Jaguars’ OCC-Cardinal win streak moves to an impressive 44 games. Another milestone happened Friday for Bradley as senior Matt Allocco scored his 1000th career point in a game-high 22-point showing. Bradley will make its return to the home court on Tuesday when it host Olentangy Berlin in OCC-Cardinal play.

For the Cardinals, junior Jalen Sullenger was the only one in double figures, contributing a solid 20 points including five threes. Thomas Worthington will head out to Dublin Jerome on Tuesday in what could be a pesky matchup. 

Dublin Scioto 41, Olentangy Berlin 22

Dublin Scioto went into defensive overdrive on Friday, holding all Olentangy Berline players under double digits in a dominant 41-22 victory. While the game started off slow with the Irish holding a 7-3 lead after a quarter of play, Scioto’s Jayden Prince began to heat up, finishing with a game-high 18 points and nearly out-scoring the Bears by himself. 

For Dublin Scioto, OCC Cardinal foe Delaware Hayes comes to town on Tuesday.

Following the loss for Berlin, the road does not get any easier as they’ll head on the road to play Hilliard Bradley. 

Hilliard Darby 49, Delaware Hayes 48

It was a nail biter, that's for sure. With each quarter splitting between three points or less it was close the entire game as Hilliard Darby pulled out a squeaker over Delaware Hayes. It was a strong third quarter that proved to be the difference for Darby, helping the Panthers establish the lead it needed to pull off the win in the fourth quarter.

Darby saw strong games from Josh Carney and Jacob Foster, combining to score 24 points. The Panthers will look to keep winning as it hosts Groveport Madison on Saturday.

As for Delaware Hayes, Paul Burris put up a great game finishing with 26 points in the loss. The Pacers are reeling without senior guard Nate Griggs, who missed his second-straight game. Delaware Hayes heads to Dublin Scioto on Tuesday, continuing OCC-Cardinal league play.

Worthington Kilbourne 63, Dublin Jerome 43

This might have been the least expected outcome in the area, as a Kilbourne team that struggled mightily to put up points completely stomped a Dublin Jerome team that was coming off tight wins over Newark and London. 

Outscoring Jerome by 21 points in the final three quarters, Kilbourne was the tougher team on Friday and it showed, as Jerome gave up a season-high for points and allowed 35 combined points from Ian Schupp and Ayden Parsons.

It doesn't get easier for Jerome as they host Thomas Worthington on Tuesday.

For Kilbourne, the Wolves will look to improve to 3-1 when the head to Hilliard Darby on Tuesday. 

CENTRAL

Upper Arlington 41, Central Crossing 37

Defense was a major factor in this one, as only one player finished in double figures. Unfortunately for Central Crossing, Devon Miller’s game-high 11 points were not enough to lead the Comets over Upper Arlington for the first time ever.

The Golden Bears responded with a great team effort. John Basil led Upper Arlington with nine points in the team’s season opener.

Upper Arlington has their home opener Tuesday, with a talented Westerville Central team making a trip to the suburban west side.

Central Crossing will have to get back on track quickly as it hosts Mifflin on Saturday afternoon.

Dublin Coffman 68, Hilliard Davidson 43

Dublin Coffman put on a complete opposite performance than their rival Dublin Jerome. The Rocks put on a great show for the Davidson home crowd, as Keaton Turner and Nash Hostetler combined for 31 in the win. 

Graham McClellan and Ryan Paris combined for 30 points, as Davidson loses its second-straight game this week.

Coffman heads back home for a matchup against Olentangy on Tuesday. 

Hilliard Davidson hosts Lancaster on Tuesday as the Wildcats are looking for its first win on the season.

Marysville 63, Westland 54

Jack Christian. 35 points. Yearly Westland killer.

The junior was on fire Friday, taking over the game to lead the Monarchs over Westland on the road. 

Westland put up a great fight, as seniors Eric Panning and Kalil Camara combined for 37 points.

Marysville travels to Powell to play defending regional champ Olentangy Liberty on Tuesday, while Westland will take on the reigning regional runner-up, Pickerington North. 

OHIO

Gahanna 67, Reynoldsburg 43

Sean Jones and Maceo Williams combined for 36 points to power Gahanna to a big win over Reynoldsburg, their first over the Raiders since February 2018. Controlling the game for most of the night, Gahanna did a terrific job defending Reynoldsburg, as senior Sean Moore was the only consistent offensive threat with 14 points. 

Gahanna looks to continue the display they put on Friday as they travel to Westerville South on Tuesday for an important non-league test.

Reynoldsburg will host Newark on Tuesday in what will be a challenging non-league tilt. 

Lancaster 58, Grove City 49

Lancaster picks up their first win on the season on the road at Grove City, the only team they’ve beaten in the OCC-Ohio since 2017.

In the win, Owen Snyder led the Golden Gales with 15 points, while Deven Savage and Jacob Davenport each contributed double figures, combining for 26 points. It was back and forth all night but a solid fourth quarter by Lancaster allowed them to walk away with the win.

Brock Waits continued his hot start to the season, scoring 15 points.

Lancaster continues their road stretch with a trip to Hilliard Davidson on Tuesday.

For Grove City, Licking Heights will come to town Tuesday in a game that the Greyhounds will need to win to keep its momentum high after a 2-0 start before Friday's loss.

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