COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With both teams coming into the game in the top five of the new Division II rankings, a hotly contested game was to be expected between Granville (9-3) and DeSales (10-4).

However, the truly neck-and-neck nature of Tuesday’s contest was broken in the second half when the home Stallions pulled ahead decisively, even by double-digits at one point, en route to a 61-53 win over the Blue Aces.

The game started off in exciting fashion, with each team trading scores and showcasing some good ball movement and shot-making ability on offense, an area that Granville in particular has really been trying to get going as of late.

The Blue Aces, on the back of senior Cam Crouch and his seven first quarter points, led by a basket until DeSales junior Kobe Righter converted a steal and score with less than ten seconds left in the quarter to knot it up at 16 heading into the second quarter.

The second quarter was similarly testy, and while DeSales held the lead by a possession or two for most of the period, sophomore Jaden Rudder’s reverse layup, as well as a three-pointer by junior Brody Ley, drew the score again to a tie at 33-33 going into the half.

DeSales senior Kayin Derden was impressive in the first half, using his shiftiness and athleticism to get into the lane and convert contested looks in the paint. The guard also dropped in two threes in the half.

At the start of the second half some separation could be seen between the two teams. The Stallions stifled the Blue Aces attack, holding them to only six total points in the quarter, and they themselves found a spark on offense from senior stalwart Anthony Sciarrioni and his three smooth pull-up jumpers. DeSales headed into the fourth quarter up 47-39 on the Aces.

Just as Righter started off the game with a bang with a coast-to-coast play, in the same way he closed it out. The DeSales lead grew to 12 at one point and it looked as though the Stallions would continue to ride a wave of scrappy defense and transition O into the last stretch of the game.

However, as this Granville team has proven many times over the course of the year, they were not going down without a fight; after back-to-back threes by Crouch and junior Jake Stone, the Blue Aces cut the lead back down to six.

However, a steal and score as well as a soft floater by Righter made the lead insurmountable. The Stallions ended up pulling out a big win on their home court over Granville by the score of 61-53.

Granville, despite the loss, put together a pretty complete team effort on the offensive end and keep things interesting throughout the entirety of the game.

The Blue Aces were led by the senior Crouch, who had a game-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds. Stone finished with 12 points to go along with six boards and assists apiece. Ley dropped eight points on two threes. Senior Ben Blanchard added five points and four boards, while the sophomore Rudder chipped in four points, and junior Brody Bitters added two points and seven rebounds himself. The Blue Aces fall to 10-3 on the year.

DeSales won with incredible scoring balance. Righter led the Stallions with 13 points to go along with three rebounds and assists, and sophomore Obed Achirem had 11. The senior Derden had ten points with three rebounds and four assists, and sophomores Desmond Watson and Austin Mann each had nine points. The senior Sciarroni also had nine points for Desales.

The Stallions climb to 10-4 with the win and look like the clear No. 2 in Division II behind South.