Already sporting a six-point halftime lead, the East Knox boys basketball team used a sturdy defense to hold host Highland without a field goal in a 15-2 third quarter. The Bulldogs rolled to a 58-42 win in Knox Morrow Athletic Conference play on Tuesday, Jan. 26, in Sparta.
Weston Melick scored 19 points, Shane Knepp had 14 points and Terry Jacobs added 12 points to lead the Bulldogs (8-6, 6-4).
Brock Church led the Fighting Scots (4-11, 2-8) with 13 points and Rider Minnick added 10 points.
Mansfield Senior 51, Mount Vernon 38
Held to three points in the opening quarter, Mount Vernon just couldn’t get going offensively and fell 51-38 at Mansfield Senior in Ohio Cardinal Conference play on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
Shad Creamer had 17 points and Amil Upchurch added 10 points to lead the Tygers (4-4, 2-2).
Beau Bridges led the Yellow Jackets (4-10, 3-5) with 14 points and Blake Meyer had 13 points.
Columbus Academy 35, Centerburg 32
After Centerburg held a narrow 13-12 lead after one quarter, a relative offensive duel turned into a defensive slugfest. Visiting Columbus Academy emerged with a 35-32 win over the Trojans in non-league play on Wednesday, Jan. 27.
Carter Jones scored a game-best 16 points to lead the Trojans (10-2), who took a 20-18 lead into the locker room.
Kevin Reeves scored 14 points and Tanner Compton added 12 points to lead the Vikings (9-4), who held Centerburg to just two free throws in the third quarter to take control.
Licking Heights 81, Utica 52
Denero Warner scored 17 points and Jaivon Miller added 14 points to lead host Licking Heights (12-4, 9-1) to a lopsided 81-52 win over Utica in Licking County League play on Tuesday, Jan. 26, in Pataskala.
Seth Cooper scored 23 points and Elijah Larue added 10 points for Utica (3-12, 0-9).
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Gabby Daniels scored 20 points to help Fredericktown bounce back with a lopsided 59-24 win at Delaware Christian in non-league play on Thursday, Jan. 28. The win came after the Freddies fell at home to Worthington Christian 53-36 in non-league play on Tuesday, Jan. 26, in Fredericktown.
Daniels scored eight points in the first quarter alone to stake Fredericktown to an 18-2 lead over the host Eagles (5-9). The Freddies (14-5), who got 12 points from Audrey Bouton, led 31-5 at the half and 46-13 after three quarters.
Katie Neuhart paced Delaware Christian with 21 points.
Blessing King scored 17 points, Meghan Mayotte had 16 points and Katherine Weakley added 12 points to lead Worthington Christian (12-3), which led 14-6 after one quarter and turned an eight-point halftime advantage into a 46-24 lead after three frames.
Taylor Overholt and Jacklyn Nussbaum scored nine points each and Bouton chipped in eight points to lead the Freddies, who had their five-game winning streak snapped by the Warriors.
Cardington-Lincoln 73, Mount Victory Ridgemont 30
Beth Hardwick hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 10 points in the first quarter to stake second-ranked Cardington to a 20-6 lead over visiting Ridgemont (8-8). The Pirates never looked back in a 73-30 non-league win on Wednesday, Jan. 27.
Hardwick finished with 25 points on the strength of five 3s and Mikayla Linkous added 16 points to lead the Pirates (15-0).
Mount Gilead 59, Crestline 18
Holly Gompf scored 16 points and Candace Millisor added 15 points to lead Mount Gilead (13-6) to a lopsided 59-18 win in non-league play at Crestline (2-10).
