Westerville North 73, Delaware Hayes 70
Warriors hold off an admirable Pacers comeback, win their 12 straight
WESTERVILLE, OH - In a pivotal OCC Cardinal duel that likely decided the league champion, Westerville North held off a fourth quarter push from Delaware Hayes and showed poise in their second defeat of the Pacers this season, as they won 73-70 in front of their home crowd on Friday.
The Warriors took a 13-12 lead off a Tai Perkins reverse lay-up halfway through the first quarter and never trailed. Their lead increased up to 13 points, again after a make from Perkins, early in the third quarter, a period which they mostly held a double-digit advantage.
Though the Pacers, the area’s defending regional Division I champion and previously winners of seven straight, stayed persistent and continued to hit timely shots. A 10-2 run to start the fourth, capped by a Jeremiah Russell three-pointer at the 5:40 mark knotted both teams at 60 a piece.

After moments of back-and-forth, the Warriors scored their last six points going perfect at the foul line, capped by two makes from sophomore Tyson Perkins with five seconds left. That gave the Warriors a comfortable six-point cushion that rendered a Russell three-pointer at the buzzer meaningless towards the final outcome.
“[Hayes] is really good, really talented. I thought headed into tonight, they were playing some of the best basketball in Central Ohio. We didn’t do anything wrong, it was just them making shots, making plays,” Westerville North head coach Shan Trusley said after the game in response to the Pacers comeback. “We’re a veteran team and even our younger kids have played varsity too. The kids believe in themselves, they trust each other, they feel someone is going to make a play at some point.”