HILLIARD, Ohio -- Hilliard Bradley extended their Ohio Capital Conference win streak to 34 games on Friday night, beating Delaware Hayes 57-46. The Jaguars remain undefeated thanks to a dominant performance from junior Matt Allocco, who finished a team high 21 points.

The final score is slightly deceptive, as Bradley was in control for most of the game, along with the entirety of the second half. Delaware appeared to be hanging on in the game throughout the first half, but really suffered from consistent scoring on offense outside of junior guard Nate Griggs, who finished with 14 points thanks to a late fourth-quarter surge. The Pacers had a mismatch for most of the game with Bradley forcing to play one of their smaller guards on 6-foot-6 wing Paul Burris. Unfortunately for the Pacers, they could not get the junior into as many quality scoring situations as they may have liked.

Other Jaguars that helped the Jaguars in the win were senior Winston Stone and sophomore AJ Mirgon, who combined for 19 points. Hilliard Bradley will have an interesting test tomorrow as they face Walnut Ridge at The Challenge on Saturday night.

Delaware Hayes suffered their second loss on the season, and will look to bounce back against a tough Dublin Jerome team on Tuesday.

Matt Allocco (6’4 WG / Hilliard Bradley / 2020): The junior wing had an extremely impressive two-way outing tonight for the Jaguars. At a lengthy 6-foot-4, Allocco has a quality handle for his size despite his unorthodox movement and it is easy to see given his primary handling duties in Bradley’s offense. Possessing a great first step, burst off the dribble, and body control which allows him to successfully attack on both low and high usage actions.

Defensively, Allocco was a standout both on and off the ball. On ball, he was responsible for holding Nate Griggs to only six first half points moving his feet with Delaware’s leading scorer and showcasing a solid initial reaction as an on ball defender. Off-ball, his understanding of the weak side of the floor translated better to that end. Flaunting great communication skills, consistent weak side rotations, and excellent recovery speed back onto his man.

Allocco’s dominance will likely continue throughout the season with standout sophomore Jack Pugh sidelined. Anticipate him to consistently step up to the plate. He is a high IQ guard that can play both on and off the ball along with adding loads of team defensive value. With an unorthodox shooting motion, I’d like to see him consistently knock down more outside shots to comfortably project an off ball role, but he did make his only attempt and his free throw numbers show promise.

Keaton Norris (5’10 G / Hilliard Bradley / 2021): Norris only finished the game with six points, but the highly intelligent sophomore is a key contributor on one of the better teams in Central Ohio. At 5-foot-10, Norris has a very frail frame, but if he grows a few inches will be a legitimate collegiate prospect in the next few years. The Jaguars love working their best outside shooter off movement. In particular, Norris worked off a lot of flare screens in the first half. He can get into the lane with an exceptional change of pace handle, and that lead to a finish through contact coming off that screen early in the first half.

Defensively Norris has value as an off ball guy as well. Mostly helping from the weak side of the floor like his teammate Allocco. At his size, it’s hard to project on ball value without a growth spurt, but is one of the smartest underclassmen I have seen off ball all year.

Terin Kinsway (6’5 F / Delaware Hayes / 2019): Kinsway was one of the Pacers two most efficient scorers in the game finishing with 10 points. The 6-foot-5 forward has a strong frame, moves well, and has good coordination for his size. The senior boasted an inside-out scoring game. Being able to drive to the rim from the perimeter, knock down two spot up three pointers, and a drop step resulting in a jump hook from the low post. On the defensive end, Kinsway did an excellent job moving his feet in space against Bradley forwards Chris Mayfield and Zach Hummel, a pair of power five Division I football prospects.

Even though he needs to continue to develop his perimeter game and his off-ball defensive awareness, Kinsway could be an intriguing size at the next level as a perimeter oriented 4/5 that can maximize a team’s floor spacing.

Paul Burris (6’6 WF / Delaware Hayes / 2020): Burris was the other most effective and efficient scorer on the losing team tonight, finishing with a total of nine points that were almost solely from the perimeter. At a skinny 6-foot-6, Burris is clearly more suited to be a wing than a forward. Mainly attacking off the dribble, Burris is a quality pull up shooter showing off great touch and balance on his shot from mid range. He can also finish at the rim attacking off the dribble where his stride lengths aide his lack of burst. On the defensive side of the ball, Burris was faced with some difficult matchups on the perimeter with Bradley’s guards but held his own on ball.

With his size and potential offensive upside, it is easy to understand why Burris is a college prospect. I’d like to see him continue to tighten his handle, get stronger, and become a true outside scoring wing. Awareness both off the ball and aggressiveness as a scorer could be major swing skills in his game moving forward.