CHILLICOTHE, Ohio -- Upper Arlington (9-7) took the long trip down to Chillicothe tonight and defeated the Cavaliers (13-3) by a final of 55-44. 

Senior Max Buckley put up a huge performance of 28 points and six rebounds to lead the Golden Bears impressive attack. 

It was a slow start to Saturday night’s non-league contest, seeing Upper Arlington take a 12-10 lead into the second quarter. 

Chillicothe senior Brandon Noel, a Wright State signee, had himself a great first half, going for 12 points and nine rebounds. 

Despite struggling to get going from deep, the Cavaliers managed to knot up the score going into halftime at 23 when senior Jayvon Maughmer, a Cedarville signee, scored an impressive bucket in the post right before the buzzer. 

Upper Arlington used their balanced attack in the first half, led by Buckley with eight points and five rebounds. 

Sophomore Quinn Corna contributed seven first half points for the Golden Bears. His squad was extremely sound and efficient on the offensive end of the floor. 

The second half was more of the same, as Upper Arlington came out of the locker room and went on a 10-3 run before Noel made a crucial hustle play, finishing an and-one and making the score 33-29 in favor of Upper Arlington. 

Buckley responded by catching fire for the remainder of third quarter, scoring 12 points and knocking down two triples to take his game total to 20. He helped give Upper Arlington a 38-33 lead to take into the final quarter. 

In the fourth, both teams went back and forth, slowly trading baskets for the first seven minutes. Upper Arlington held a 47-42 lead with one minute remaining. 

All that was left for the Golden Bears to do was knock down their free throws to secure their win, and they did just that, going 6-for-6 in the final minute. 

For the Cavs, Noel led the way in the tough loss, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. 

Senior Tre Beard also scored 17 points, and Maughmer contributed 10 points and had five rebounds. 

Upper Arlington was rounded out by Corna who finished with 10 points, and sophomore Geoffrey Schoeny who added eight points. 

Upper Arlington has now won 4 straight games and will look to make it 5 next Friday when they host Westland. 

Chillicothe is back in action on Tuesday when they host Canal Winchechster, another central district opponent. 

Max Buckley (6’2 G / Upper Arlington / 2020): Buckley put on an all around great performance tonight going for 28 points and six rebounds. The senior scored from all over the court, knocking down four three-pointers, going 8-for-8 from the charity stripe, and scoring efficiently near the rim. He was also productive on the glass and really helped his team out defensively as Chillicothe provides tough guard matchups. Buckley showed great toughness and leadership on a team that’s now rolling.

Brandon Noel (6’8 F / Chillicothe / 2020): Noel is a big time talent inside the paint and he put a little bit of that on display tonight by going for 17 points and 10 rebounds. The future Wright State Raider didn’t exactly get it going from deep, though he is capable of stretching the floor, but Noel was still had a big impact on the game with his defense and presence in the post. Look for Chillicothe to continue to run a lot of action through Noel as they look to finish their season and make some noise in the tournament.

Tre Beard (5’10 PG / Chillicothe / 2020): Beard is an impressive playmaker at the one spot and has been extremely fun to watch develop over the years. Not only is he a sharpshooter from long range but he is very slithery when going down the lane and has great passing abilities as well. The senior waited a little too long to get it going tonight, but nonetheless had a good outing. 

Quinn Corna (6’3 G / Upper Arlington / 2022): The sophomore didn’t put up huge numbers tonight but hurt the Cavaliers when it mattered tonight, coming up clutch on both sides of the ball when the game got tight. He showed off a little of his ability to catch and shoot as well as score off the dribble. Only being in his second year of high school, he showed good maturity and the type of calmness we were looking for out of him earlier in the season. Combine that with his nice size, and he is a player to keep an eye on.