ZANESVILLE, Ohio -- While the OCC announced last week that they are suspending league play until Dec. 17th, they are still allowing teams to play non-conference action.

Olentangy Liberty kicked off their season on Friday night in Zanesville at the Zanesville Tip-Off Classic as the first OCC team to play this season, getting the conference off on the right foot as they rolled over Marietta 102-52 behind 30 points from senior guard Henry Hinkle.

The Patriots quickly jumped out to a 12-4 lead just four minutes into the game thanks to the hot shooting of Hinkle and junior Reynoldsburg transfer Cooper Davis and never looked back, really getting into an offensive groove early that led to a 27-12 lead after the first when Davis knocked down a corner three shortly before the end of the frame.

Continuing to assert their dominance, Liberty had their way in the second quarter and headed into halftime ahead 52-32 behind a combined 32 points from Hinkle (19) and Davis (13). 

Henry Hinkle continued to do whatever he wanted to begin the second half, knocking down a nasty contested setback three from the corner right after drilling a mid-range off the bounce to keep the Patriot offense rolling.

They did a fantastic job running the floor, pressuring the full court and knocking down open shots, as they also received key contributions from guys like Andrew Wade, Ty Foster, Cam Barcus and Parker Hinkle on their way to outscoring Marietta 50-20 in the second half.

Moving to 1-0 on the young season, Olentangy Liberty will take on either Athens or Zanesville tomorrow night at 7 p.m.

If the Patriots continue to put up offensive outbursts like this the entire season, they certainly have a great chance to return to the heights the program reached in 2019 when they won the district and advanced all the way to the state final four before falling to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's.

Let's take a look at some of the Patriots top performers tonight.

Henry Hinkle (6'0 PG / Olentangy Liberty / 2021): Absolute clinic is the only way to describe the showing that Hinkle put on tonight. From the opening tip, the senior guard created instant offense for both he and his teammates. He hit a handful of triples both off of the bounce and off of the catch, showing off an extended range compared to last season as he hit two very deep threes, one of which was from the wing and the other from the top of the key. Hinkle also finished an and-one through contact and set his teammates up for a handful of easy buckets, executing in the pick-and-roll fantastically, playing with a great pace and keeping the ball on a string. He even made a few extremely impressive passes with his off hand, something many guards in this area can not do. Defensively, Hinkle is not the quickest but is a high IQ defender who stays active. Division III and NAIA programs in the region should be all over the senior as he is one of the most talented guards in Columbus offensively.

Cooper Davis (6'4 WG / Olentangy Liberty / 2022): After transferring back to Olentangy Liberty following two seasons at Reynoldsburg, Davis seems to have found the perfect offensive system for himself. Getting up a handful of shots in a hurry, the junior quickly caught fire against Marietta, connecting on several triples in the first quarter. Davis has one of the prettiest strokes in the state, does a fantastic job moving off the ball and is always ready to let it fly. He hit a catch and shoot three from the corner, a catch and shoot three from the top of the key and stopped on a dime to nail a wing three on the fast break. He also created a couple of easy scores with instinctive cuts within the Liberty offense and forced a few turnovers on the defensive end with his length. Playing in a system that is almost tailor made for his game, Davis is bound to put up big numbers this season.

Andrew Wade (6'6 WF / Olentangy Liberty / 2021): Wade seems to have added even more length in the offseason, as the senior was clearly the biggest player on the floor tonight and put that length to use. He stays consistently active on both ends of the floor as dominated the glass tonight, forced a few turnovers and consistently altered opposing shots. Wade worked perfectly in the pick-and-roll with Hinkle, executing it to a tee and creating several easy finishes for himself. He also had a trailing putback finish, made a couple of high IQ passes within the flow of the offense and made an impressive outlet pass immediately after cleaning up the defensive glass. Wade is a fantastic role player for Olentangy Liberty and is capable of putting up big numbers on the offensive end if it is what the defense is giving them on that given night.