COLUMBUS, Ohio -- For the third-straight season, a sophomore in Central Ohio has scored 43 or more points in a single game.

Back in 2017-18, Walnut Ridge's VonCameron Davis was the first to do it with 43 points in a win over Briggs.

Berne Union's Brock Unger carried on the tradition by burying 13 threes in a 49-point shellacking against Delaware Christian last year.

In a City League North showdown on Friday, Beechcroft sophomore Amani Lyles joined the exclusive club with his career-high 45 points in the Cougars' blowout win over International. 

Lyles' point total is the most from a Beechcroft player since we began covering the area and is a good sign of things to come for the Cougars program. Much like its heralded 2018 class that won the school's first City League title since 1994 and went on to win a Division II district title, Beechcroft's current group of sophomores are a talented bunch that have played together for quite some time.

Coach Humphrey Simmons is one of the best when it comes to forming brotherhood between his players and that seems to be the case once again for Beechcroft's young core of talent. Lyles might just be the best prospect for the Cougars since Jelani Simmons, who is now a sophomore at Youngstown State. 

Lyles put the area on notice with his 45-point outburst on Friday, as the 6-foot-6 forward is oozing with potential and is beginning to see an uptick in production. With size, athleticism and versatility, the young forward prospect is only scratching the surface of his ever expanding potential.

Let's now take a look at some of the other top scorers from around the area on Friday. 

CJ Anthony (6'0 PG / Harvest Prep / 2020): Another night, another big-time performance from one of Central Ohio' all-time greats. In a tough loss to a talented Somerset Southwestern team from Kentucky, Anthony put Harvest Prep on his back to the tune of 39 points. As we covered last week, Anthony and the guy below him both have a strong chance to surpass 2,000 career points - which will place them in elite company with Northland legend Seth Towns as the only players to do so in 270 Hoops coverage history. 

VonCameron Davis (6'5 WF / Walnut Ridge / 2020): While Walnut Ridge's margin of victory over Marion-Franklin might have been closer than what many expected (they still won by 13), Davis did what he normally does and that was get buckets. The 6-foot-5 forward is a one man wrecking crew around the basket and punished Marion-Franklin with 35 points in a win for the Scots. The senior will get a big test this afternoon when his team goes up against undefeated and blazing hot Gahanna. 

Keaton Turner (6'1 PG / Dublin Coffman / 2020): If there's anyone out there reading this with a scholarship to offer to a senior guard, you should strongly consider giving it to Turner. He's earned it and then some. The 6-foot-1 senior was on a different planet in Dublin Coffman's last second loss to Marysville in overtime, going for 34 points and knocking down shots from literally everywhere on the floor. Turner is playing at a level right now where he's virtually unguardable and he proved it once more on Friday. 

Jack Christian (6'0 G / Marysville / 2021): One of the absolutely most productive players in the 2021 class that doesn't get as much fanfare as the other top players (likely because he plays baseball all summer), Christian is the real deal and proved it again on Friday. Going for 34 points and dueling head-to-head with Turner, Christian's Monarchs won the eventual war, as a three from rising junior big Garrett Taylor (who was no slouch himself with 23 points), led Marysville to its first win over Coffman since the 2016-17 season. Christian is a sniper from deep, is tough to handle on the drive and plays with a toughness and chip that comes only with experience.

Conner Maciag (6'2 G / Pickerington Central / 2020): After suffering a tough loss to Pickerington North on Tuesday, the Tigers bounced back behind the hot scoring of Maciag, who went for a career-high 31 points in a blowout win. Maciag showed great resiliency after a tough outing on Tuesday, knocking down six threes and putting together a masterful scoring performance in a 21-point win. The senior guard is one of the better shot creators that you'll find in the area and showed why on Friday. 

Desmond Watson (6'5 WG / DeSales / 2021): The 6-foot-5 junior Watson is putting the state on notice in the early going of the season. After being held to two points in a tough first quarter against Bishop Ready on Friday, the junior cemented his case as the best wing guard in Central Ohio by going for 28 points in the final three quarters and adding eight big rebounds in a statement win for the Stallions. Watson dominated the game in every way imaginable, scoring off the bounce, off the catch and shoot, off offensive rebounds and in transition, showcasing his full bag of offensive skills, while playing a terrific game on the defensive end of the floor. Leading the CCL in scoring thus far, Watson is not only putting up big numbers, but playing at such an efficient level that is leading to wins for 5-1 DeSales.