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5 Keys: Olentangy Orange's "Big Three" deliver in Big Win over St. Charles

By Greg Glasser, 11/29/22, 10:30PM EST

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Pioneers overwhelm the Cardinals on both ends and impress in their season debut

LEWIS CENTER, Ohio -- In an early non-conference duel that pitted two potential district title contenders against one another, Olentangy Orange delivered a sound defeat over visitor St. Charles in a 68-46 win.  The Pioneers were led by senior guard Mikey McCollum and his 17 points followed by senior Elias Lewis' 14 points and senior Jordan Edwards dished out an impressive nine assists. 

While Orange received a high quality performance from their top seniors, coach Anthony Calo was rewarded with an all-out team effort that featured production from nearly every player that received significant minutes. Junior Dylan Joy was impressive on the offensive end with 13 points and senior Nick Chapman contributed eight points that began with two made triples.

It was a relatively tight game until St. Charles star senior big Chase Walker, an Illinois State recruit, picked up his second foul halfway through the first quarter. The Pioneers would then go on a 20-5 run to end the first half. Walker finished with 16 points, but scored most of his makes when the game was out of reach. 

Olentangy Orange begin their season at 1-0 and host a league game against Hilliard Davidson on Friday.

St. Charles drops to 1-1 and has another difficult non-league match as they visit Dublin Jerome, another district title contender, on Saturday.

Let's now take a look at the 5 Keys To The Game:

1. Orange's "Big Three": There may not be a team in the area that has the collective three-man talent than the Pioneers do with Edwards, Lewis and McCollum. Not only does each player contribute on both ends of the court, they all possess their own unique skillsets. Edwards is committed to Ashland, McCollum is committed to Hillsdale while Lewis remains one of the best unsigned seniors in the area. Kudos to the Eagles and Chargers for identifying and landing two excellent recruits.

2. More Than A Trio: While Orange's more experienced players all delivered, multiple Pioneers made significant contributions. Joy looked really comfortable shooting the ball, while there were some nice efforts from the underclassmen as sophomore Devin Brown and freshman Levi Davis both made notable plays. Coach Calo should be pleased with how his entire team performed defensively.

3. Jordan Dimes: I don't care if it's only the first week of the season, I've seen enough to consider Edwards a top passer in the area. He had nine dimes and could have had a few more had his teammate finished. A majority of Edwards assists came off the dribble in the lane to find an open shooter from three, passes with such a zip crisp it made you gasp. 

4. Foul Trouble: While Walker only finished with three fouls, his two early calls in the first quarter clearly took him, and the Cardinals, out of their rhythm. He and Zach Auletta, the Cardinals second lead scorer, combined for 2 points at halftime and didn't get going until midway through the second half. 

5. Plan B: When Walker left the game with early foul trouble, the Cardinals simply looked lost. In the second quarter, they had more turnovers than points. They'll need to find an identity and ability to break through defenses in the event Walker has to miss any action. 

MVP: Jordan Edwards (Olentangy Orange senior guard with nine assists and six points)

Top Scorer: Mikey McCollum (Olentangy Orange senior guard with 17 points)

Hustle Player of the Game: Mikey McCollum (this could have easily been a team award, but McCollum leads by example and plays at a high level on both ends)

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