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Buckeye Valley 55, Worthington Christian 51 - Prospect Scouting Report

By Jake Spegal, 01/07/20, 11:15PM EST

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Dylan Thompson, Dylan Herbert and Max Stokey combine for 40 points as Buckeye Valley stays on top of the MSL-Ohio

DELAWARE, Ohio -- Coming into their first season in the MSL-Ohio, Buckeye Valley (8-1) was thought of by many as a solid addition who can at least compete every night.

Following a big 55-51 win over Worthington Christian (8-3) on Tuesday night, the Barons remain undefeated in league play and have now picked up two huge home wins over the Warriors and Grandview, exceeding all expectations and playing to their full potential every night.

Buckeye Valley sophomore guard Dylan Thompson set the tone on the very first possession, nailing the first of his eventual five three-pointers, igniting the crowd and helping the Barons jump out to a quick lead. 

While Worthington Christian led 8-5 with 4:23 left in the first following two free throws from Derrick Hardin, Buckeye Valley controlled the rest of the frame, going on a 19-4 run behind the play of Thompson, Dylan Herbert and Max Stokey to take a 24-12 lead into the second.

They carried this momentum over to the next quarter, as a three from Jack Rotondo following a big block from Stokey completed an 8-2 run and forced a Worthington Christian timeout with 4:22 left in the first half.

While it looked like Buckeye Valley might begin to run away with the game at this point, Worthington Christian had answer. 

Led by six points from sophomore guard DJ Moore, the Warriors used a 9-2 run capped off by an and-one from senior Nakimba Mullins  to cut the deficit to single digits, trailing 34-25 at the break. 

Herbert and Thompson made sure to regain the momentum after the half as Herbert knocked down a three and then took a steal coast-to-coast, going on his own 5-0 run and forcing a Worthington Christian timeout as Buckeye Valley led 42-29 with 5:46 left in the third.

Worthington Christian then answered with an 8-0 run by way of an and-one from Moore, a three from Drew Faieta and a tough finish inside from Steven Spayde. They cut the deficit to as little as 44-37 with 3:04 left in the third and headed into the final quarter down 46-37.

While Worthington Christian gained some momentum at times late, they trailed by somewhere between seven-nine points for most of the fourth, failing to capitalize on some free ones at the line and ultimately not having what it took to mount a comeback on the road. 

They were led by Moore with 17 points, while Tyler Kindberg added 10, Derrick Hardin scored nine and Isaiah Hazelwood scored four.

They fall to 8-3 after the loss and will host Whitehall on Saturday.

For Buckeye Valley, Thompson scored 19, while Herbert added 11 and Stokey scored 10. Jevin Beard and Owen Osborne each added five a piece.

They move to 8-1 after the win and will host Columbus Academy on Saturday in another MSL-Ohio matchup.


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Dylan Thompson (6'1 G / Buckeye Valley / 2022): The stock continues to rise for Thompson. The sophomore guard had an excellent showing in a tough one-on-one matchup against DJ Moore tonight, leading all scorers with 19 points and winning the battle on both ends. Thompson has a quick trigger and stays ready to shoot from the perimeter, as he used his smooth stroke to knock down five triples off the catch against Worthington Christian. The 6-foot-1 guard plays with a good pace and is a good decision maker who can create off the dribble with a quick first step and the IQ to make quality drive-and-kick reads. He finished through contact on two occasions as well, showing off a soft touch near the rim and the ability  finish through and around length. Thompson is also a bulldog on the defensive end, as he can really defend on the perimeter and forces turnovers both in one-on-one situations and by making instinctive reads to cut off the passing lanes. The sophomore does things the right way in all facets of the game, as he even grabbed a few offensive rebounds tonight, one of which led to a big three-pointer from the corner and even took a charge. Keep an eye on Thompson's name, as he has been one of the biggest stock rising guards in the 2022 class so far this season.

DJ Moore (6'3 PG / Worthington Christian / 2022): Moore was Worthington Christian's best option on the offensive end tonight as he led the Warriors with 17 points and helped them put together some second half runs in order to keep it close late. The 6-foot-3 guard plays with an elite feel and has exceptional size at the guard position, as he used his body along with his shifty handle to come up with some tough finishes near the rim for Worthington Christian. He finished some really tough buckets with both hands, showing off great body control and touch. Moore is also an above-average defender on the perimeter who gets involved on the glass and does a really goof job of starting the break and finding open teammates in transition. We like what he brings to the table as a passer as well, as the high IQ of the sophomore allows him to see things before they happen and make plays both off the dribble and within the offensive sets of the Warriors. How far Worthington Christian can go will depend on how far Moore can take them, as the whole team seems to catch fire when he is having a good night.

Dylan Herbert (6'1 G / Buckeye Valley / 2020): Herbert proved to be an excellent running mate to Thompson tonight, helping the sophomore set the tone early on in the game. The 6-foot-1 guard has a quick first step, a shifty handle and is an above-average shooter from beyond the arc. However, he only knocked down one triple on Tuesday, showing off a lot more to his offensive arsenal by attacking the rim for some tough scores. He showed off good body control and the ability to finish through contact with either hand, even completing a really tough and-one in the first quarter. He also scored off a transition finish and an easy layup near the rim, converting on his looks very efficiently and not forcing things against the length and speed of Worthington Christian. Herbert also made a good passing read out of the pick-and-roll and had some high IQ drive and kick reads. Small college programs in the area should start to take a look at the senior as he is capable of putting together some really big numbers on the offensive end when he has everything going for himself.

Max Stokey  (6'6 PF / Buckeye Valley / 2020): Stokey put together a really good two-way showing for Buckeye Valley, taking control of the interior on both ends of the floor. He showed off his soft touch near the rim on multiple occasions, finishing a layup off the pick and roll and completing a tough left-handed finish early on in the game. At 6-foot-6, Stokey has good length and athleticism as we saw when he threw down a transition dunk late in the game. He used this length to his advantage on Tuesday, coming up with one really big block off the glass and playing some tough, disciplined interior defense all night long without getting in foul trouble. Stokey would be a big steal for small colleges in the area as he is a late bloomer with tons of skill and size to work with.

Tyler Kindberg (6'4 WF / Worthington Christian / 2021): Kindberg had some really good spurts tonight, finishing with an efficient 10 points for Worthington Christian and affecting the game on both ends. At a long and athletic 6-foot-4, Kindberg is best served in a fast paced game as he scored pretty much all of his buckets in transition tonight or by attacking the rim off the dribble. He soars above defenders in the lane and has a really soft touch near the basket as he showed off good body control and absorbed some contact on a few of his finishes. The junior is a tough perimeter defender as well as his combination of speed and length allow him to stay in front of quicker guards and really affect the game in pressure/trapping defenses. While he missed a chunk of the season early on due to injury, Kindberg will be a big boost for Worthington Christian going forward on both ends.

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