COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When you've got the best player on the floor playing for you every night out, its pretty tough to lose.

That has been the case for DJ Moore and Worthington Christian (16-1) against MSL-Ohio opponents this season and it was no different on Friday night as the Warriors took down Whitehall (9-8) 52-44 in a battle of teams tied atop the league.

Going off for 26 points in the win, it was the play of Moore that elevated Worthington Christian to the win in the second half. 

Jumping out to a quick lead, Whitehall took control of the momentum of the game in the first quarter after Royal Sibley threw down a huge lob in transition to force a Worthington Christian timeout with the Rams ahead 10-4 with 3:43 left in the frame.

While Worthington Christian quickly cut the lead to 10-8, a couple of buckets towards the end of the quarter allowed Whitehall to build a 14-10 lead after eight minutes.

After a quick bucket and a three from Teddy Brown increased the Whitehall lead to 19-10 early in the second, Moore began to take over, orchestrating a big  8-2 run to trim the lead to 21-18 before the Warriors cut it down to as little as 24-23 heading into the break.

After a back-and-forth start to the second half, a 6-0 run from Worthington Christian capped off by a lay-in from Sam Johnson forced a Whitehall timeout with the Warriors ahead 32-30 with 4:30 left in the frame. 

While Whitehall reclaimed the lead at 36-34 late in the frame, Worthington Christian quickly took it back, however a deep three from Sibley at the buzzer knotted things up at 39 heading into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter is when Moore really secured the win for Worthington Christian as he opened the frame on a 4-0 run of his own to put the Warriors ahead and hit three of four shots at the line to secure the game down the stretch.

Outside of his 26, Tyler Kindberg scored 13 for Worthington Christian while Johnson added six and Isaiah Hazelwood scored five.

For Whitehall, Brown led the way with 10 while Kievon Wiggins scored nine and Sibley finished with eight.

DJ Moore (6'3 PG / Worthington Christian / 2022): Moore was simply on a different level than everyone else on the floor on Friday. Scoring from all three levels and getting his teammates involved as well, the Liberty commit was the engine that fueled Worthington Christian to this win. With great size and quickness to go along with an elite handle and a high IQ, Moore is a matchup nightmare for anyone in the MSL-Ohio on any given night. With great anticipation to go along with his IQ, Moore is always a step ahead of the defense, always seems to make the right play and does a great job taking care of the ball. Moore is also a high level defender on that end of the floor, is a great leader and is an overall winner.

Tyler Kindberg (6'3 WG / Worthington Christian / 2021): Doing what he does best on Friday, Kindberg was all over the floor and made several big plays on both ends. With great lateral quickness, length and instinct on the defensive end, Kindberg can really frustrate opposing ball handlers and certainly did so against Whitehall. Offensively, the Indiana Wesleyan commit scored from all three levels as he nailed a three, hit a couple of short mid-range shots and finished off a tough coast to coast finish. Kindberg also was active on the glass and simply made his impact felt in all facets of the game as well. Kindberg is one of the best role players in the area as he provided Moore with great help tonight. We expect him to excel at an excellent NAIA program in Indiana Wesleyan.

Royal Sibley (6'6 WF / Whitehall / 2021): While he battled foul trouble and certainly did not have his best showing on Friday, Sibley showed off his tools in different ways. The senior wing threw down a big lob, hit a triple and finished off a tough score inside while staying active on the defensive end despite picking up a couple of fouls early on. With great length on the wing and tools that will only continue to develop, Sibley is a potential scholarship player in the 2021 class to keep an eye on, as Mount Vernon Nazarene was in the building to watch him on Friday.

Teddy Brown (5'10 PG / Whitehall / 2021): Turning in a solid performance on Friday night, Brown scored 10 points and impressed on both ends of the floor. The senior guard brings lots of energy on both ends of the floor and is lightning quick going end to end. He is an impressive defender on the perimeter as he came up with a couple steals leading to transition scores tonight as well. Brown also hit a pair of three's and dropped off a couple of impressive assists including a perfectly placed lob to Sibley. On a Whitehall team who has experienced their ups and downs, Brown has enjoyed a stellar season thus far and has impressed us on several occasions.