Hilliard Bradley 67, Olentangy Liberty 54
Jaguars hold off the Patriots and remain undefeated in the OCC-Central
Written by 270 Hoops staff writer Greg Glasser
HILLIARD, OH - It’s not often to see Hilliard Bradley, a consistent district title contender, to have a down year. But that was the case last season, when the Jaguars went 8-15 and lost seven of ten games in conference play.
But given they started two freshmen and a sophomore, youth and a lack of experience was the fallback excuse; though no one in the Jaguars locker room embraced or accepted that notion.
While this current roster only has one senior and consists of three sophomores that make up a majority of the starting lineup, the current version of Hilliard Bradley appeared more seasoned and battle-tested on Friday, as evident in their 67-54 win over league foe Olentangy Liberty at home.
Make no mistake, the game was closer than the final score indicates. Olentangy Liberty took a one-point lead to open the fourth quarter, thanks to a Charlie Hinkle three, that capped an 11-3 Patriots run that began towards the final half of the third quarter.
But the growing Jaguars would later score nine straight and capped the evening with six straight free throws (which allowed them to finish a perfect 17-of-17 at the line), as their final run finally held off multiple Liberty comeback attempts for good.
“We allowed them to hang in there and [the Patriots] are a good enough team to hang, but in the long run and the way it played out, we took a lead, it got choppy, but we played through it,” Hilliard Bradley head coach Brett Norris said after the game. “It’s a sign of character and maturity that we didn’t have a year ago.”
