WORTHINGTON, Ohio -- Friday's OCC-Capital matchup was a battle of the lone unbeatens, as Worthington Kilbourne hosted red-hot Delaware Hayes. The host Wolves could not keep their unbeaten start to the season alive, as the three-point shooting and crisp ball movement was too much for Kilbourne to overcome, as Hayes cruised to a 52-41 victory.

Worthington Kilbourne jumped out to an early advantage, holding Hayes star junior Jesse Burris scoreless through the first quarter. However, with Burris limited early, the Pacers duo of freshmen Chase Griggs and Jeremiah Russell powered the end of the period, knotting the game at seven all. 

Hayes held Kilbourne scoreless for the first half of the second quarter, building a five-point lead. The Pacers kept that distance for the rest of the half, heading into halftime with a 21-17 lead.

In the third, Kilbourne took a momentary 28-26 lead, however, once again Griggs stepped up at the end of a quarter, scoring a tough bucket before the end of the period to give Hayes a 31-28 lead heading into the final frame.

With Burris limited for a lot of the night, the 6-foot-5 junior woke up in the final frame. He and fellow junior Jake Lowman started to shoot the lights out, helping the Pacers pull away to a 52-41 victory.

Delaware is 6-0 on the early season, with an OCC best 3-0 league record. The Pacers haven't seen this kind of success in awhile, as Burris, Lowman and the rest of the crew are playing high level basketball. Lowman led the way with 17 points, while Burris was right behind him with 16.

Delaware will look to improve to 7-0 on Tuesday when they host Marysville in a cross divisional matchup in the OCC.

For Kilbourne, juniors Aidan Gallogly and Te'Mar Lewis were impressive for most of the night. The Wolves are playing good basketball to begin the year under first year coach Ron Lewis, who was a state champion as a player at Brookhaven, before a great career for Ohio State. 

The Wolves are off until next Friday when they head on the road to take on Big Walnut. Gallogly and Te'Mar Lewis have been very solid all season long and will be one of the duos to watch in the OCC for the next year.

1. It's hard to beat a team that is together: Hayes has star power in Burris, but there is no selfishness or jealousy on this team. Burris has the ability to create his shot on any given possession, however, the junior plays a very efficient game and does a great job picking his spots. That type of smooth offensive play allows his teammates to get into an offensive rhythm, as the ball moves constantly and open looks are prioritized above all. This group has great chemistry and love for one another, two traits that could help them go deep into the tournament. 

2. Burris and Lowman are a two-man wrecking crew: When it wasn't Burris that was knocking down tough shots, it was Lowman. This duo is really tough to stop, as they can score it from everywhere on the floor. They have great chemistry together and are two of the better three-point shooters in the area, while both offering great size at 6-foot-4 plus. 

3. Matchups matter: Gallogly and Lewis came into the game averaging 38 points per game combined. Thanks to the defense of the aforementioned Burris and Lowman, this duo was held 17 points under their average coming in. Burris defended Lewis for a lot of the second half, as the 6-foot-5 junior made it difficult on the junior guard to create the way he typically would like. Gallogly found nothing easy all night long and had to work for his 11 points. 

4. Patience is a virtue: Delaware Hayes plays with incredible patience. Whether its on the offensive end where they work the ball around to get an easy shot, or on the defensive end where their tough team defense can lead to long possessions, this team can wait for the result they want. This team is so solid defensively, as they rarely gamble and force teams to knock down contested jump shots to beat them. That's a very good formula for success. 

5. 50/50 balls: In a game that Kilbourne was in for most of the night, Hayes seemed to come up with every big hustle play when they needed it most. Twice in the game, Griggs had back breaking scores at the end of quarters, one which tied the game and the other that extended the Hayes lead to three. It's rare for teams to have a freshman play meaningful minutes, let alone two, as Hayes has a bright future with Griggs and Russell. Early in the year we thought this team could be a district title contender in 2024, but we are starting to think that they'll be ready to cut down a net a year earlier than that.