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Delaware Hayes 61, Westerville North 54 - Prospect Scouting Report

By Jake Spegal, 01/26/22, 12:15AM EST

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Delaware Hayes surges back late to pick up a huge league win over Westerville North

DELAWARE, Ohio -- Sometimes all that you need is a second chance.

After suffering a 36 point loss to OCC-Capital foe Westerville North (11-4, 7-2) earlier in the season, Delaware Hayes (11-5, 4-4) flipped the script tonight, surging back late in the game to take down the Warriors 61-54 at home.

Westerville North came out of the gates hot from deep, establishing an early lead and making it seem that this matchup may play out just like the last one did.

After senior Carter Reese hit three triples for the Warriors in the first quarter, fellow senior Noah Lawrence nailed one of his own at the buzzer to push their lead to 18-10 after one.

Delaware Hayes did not go away, however, storming all the way back to take a 25-23 lead with 2:20 left in the half following an easy score from Ryan Polter that was set up beautifully by Jesse Burris.

With both teams battling for the remainder of the half, the Pacers held this lead as they went into the locker room ahead 27-25 at the break.

Making some solid adjustments at the break, Westerville North tied things back up at 29 early in the third. The Warriors then strung together a 7-0 run capped off by a turnaround jumper from Andrew Scurlock to increase their lead to 36-29 with 3:49 left in the frame.

Holding onto this lead for the final four minutes of the third, Westerville North headed into the fourth quarter poised to pick up another OCC-Capital victory as they led 43-37 after 24 minutes of play.

Taking the game over in the fourth quarter, Burris helped Delaware Hayes regain the lead late.

He trimmed the deficit to two following a 5-0 run of his own and after Westerville North pushed it back to four, he scored five more points in a 7-0 run where the Pacers took a 51-48 lead with 2:44 to go.

While Westerville North freshman guard Micah Young nailed a three-pointer and converted on an and-one late, solid free throw shooting helped Delaware Hayes hold onto the lead late and come away with a huge victory.

Leading all scorers with 21 points, Burris was excellent for the Pacers in the win. They also received 15 points from Anthony Lowman and 10 from Ryan Polter.

For Westerville North, Young and Caleb Iheukwu scored 13 while Reese added 12 on four triples.

Jesse Burris (6'5 SG / Delaware Hayes / 2024): Continuing to build on his dominant sophomore campaign, Burris led all scorers with 21 points in Tuesday night's contest. The sophomore is one of the most talented prospects in the area as he does a handful of things at a very high level. In terms of scoring the ball, Burris hit a trio of tough mid-range jumpers during the contest, got inside for a couple of tough finishes and nailed down one triple while hitting six shots at the charity stripe. Burris also dropped off a few pretty dimes leading to easy scores for his teammates. It is evident that the sophomore has an excellent understanding of the game in the way that he makes decisions, puts the ball where it needs to be and consistently creates offense. Burris was also solid on the defensive glass for the Pacers and is a reliable defender with the ability to make shooters uncomfortable and block shots with his length at 6-foot-5. It is only a matter of time before schools come banging on the door for this sophomore as he continues to string together big time performances.

Micah Young (6'1 HG / Westerville North / 2025): Young is one of the very best freshman guards that you will find anywhere in the area. In a big league game with a lot of momentum shifts on Tuesday night, we were impressed with the composure of the freshman throughout the contest as he finished with 13 points and made a lot of good decisions with the ball. When Westerville North began to trail again late, Young hit a couple of huge shots in the clutch as he nailed a three from the wing and got inside to convert on a tough and-one. The lefty guard also had a couple of other finishes inside and showed off a nice floater on one occasion. We also love the way that Young competes on the defensive end as he has stellar lateral quickness and can really frustrate opposing guards on the perimeter. The sky is the limit for this freshman, who is well on his way to becoming Westerville North's next star guard.

Caleb Iheukwu (6'5 SF / Westerville North / 2022): Iheukwu is an intriguing prospect with a lanky frame at 6-foot-5. Chipping in 13 points for Westerville North on Tuesday night, the senior wing scored it in multiple ways as he hit a three off the catch, threw down a big dunk and had a couple of second chance buckets. Iheukwu can shoot it, moves well and is athletic at 6-foot-5, making him a prospect that might catch the eyes of a lot of coaches. He also used his length to block two jumpshots on the defensive end, alter a handful of other shots and crash the glass. We like what the senior has to offer and think he has the potential to develop into a really nice player at the next level.

Anthony Wilson (6'2 SG / Delaware Hayes / 2023): Wilson was solid for Delaware Hayes on Tuesday night as he scored 15 points in the winning effort for the Pacers. He provided his squad with the ability to create offense outside of Burris as he hit two jumpers in the mid-range and also got inside for a handful of tough scores to go along with taking a steal coast-to-coast for a left-handed finish. This was one of the better games that we have seen Wilson put together as we were impressed with his shot making ability on the offensive end. Small colleges in the region should keep an eye on Wilson once they start recruiting 2023's as he has the potential to be a solid player at the next level.

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