Columbus-area high school sports notebook, Jan. 18

•Considering the standard the Upper Arlington hockey team set for itself last year, when it advanced to its first state tournament since 2007, coach Hamish Baird’s assessment of the Golden Bears’ play backs up how strong they have been through two months.

“We’re ahead of where we were last year as far as our development and play,” Baird said. “We’re playing better than we were at this point last year. We were running right about .500 and dropped some games we shouldn’t have. This year, I feel like we’ve won the games we’re supposed to win and the games that against highly competitive teams have been highly competitive.”

UA is 18-6 overall and 6-3 in the CHC entering a Jan. 21 game against Dublin Coffman at OhioHealth Ice Haus. The Bears, who were ranked fourth in last week’s state poll, were 10-9-0-2 through 21 games last year before going 12-1-0-1 in their last 14.

Sam Burns has 35 goals, almost double second-leading scorer Max Robins’ 18. Sixteen Bears have at least one goal.

“We have a lot of leaders on the team,” Baird said. “We have a lot of scoring punch and our defense is solid.”

—Dave Purpura

•The Dublin Jerome boys swimming and diving team continued its strong season by winning the Northeast Classic on Jan. 15 at Branin Natatorium in Canton.

The Celtics finished first (320) ahead of runner-up Hudson (177) and third-place Olentangy Liberty (158) as 46 teams scored.

Alex Davis, D.J. Lloyd, Carson Smith and Nicky Leonard capped the meet by winning the 400-yard freestyle relay in a meet-record 3 minutes, 6.47 seconds.

“It’s a step in the right direction for our goals at the end of the season,” coach J.J. Spangler said. “It was an opportunity to get a trial run at the postseason and now we can work on some things that we saw.”

The girls team finished fifth (181) behind champion New Albany (303). Libby Grether won the 500 free (4:55.89) and set a program record of 56.32 in the 100 backstroke while finishing fourth.

—Frank DiRenna

•The Olentangy girls swimming and diving team broke three program records in the Northeast Classic on Jan. 15 at Branin Natatorium in Canton.

Martina Peroni, Anna McGrath, Cameron Kuriger and Regan Kauderer broke the record in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:47.54 in the preliminary. The previous record of 1:47.92 was set by Grace Horstman, Grace Butcher, Bridget Parker and Olivia Gollmar in 2018. The Braves finished seventh (1:48.39) in the final and also finished second in the 400 free relay (3:32.53).

Peroni broke her own record of 1:51.1, set in 2020, in the 200 free with a time of 1:49.56. She finished ahead of McGrath (1:51.5), who placed second. Peroni also won the 100 butterfly (54.48).

McGrath swam 1:04.07 in the 100 breaststroke preliminary to break Butcher’s record of 1:04.21, also set in 2018. McGrath placed second (1:04.43) in the final.

Also, Kuriger was second in the 100 fly (54.81).

Overall, Olentangy scored 158 points to place sixth of 44 teams behind champion New Albany (303).

Max McAlister was 11th in the 100 fly (52.88) and 16th in the 200 free (1:48.96) to lead the boys team, which tied for 36th (7) of 46 teams behind champion Dublin Jerome (320).

—Michael Rich

•Hudson Williams finished first in the 100 backstroke (48.09) and second in 200 IM (1:49.53) to lead the Olentangy Liberty boys swimming and diving team in the Northeast Classic on Jan. 15 at Branin Natatorium in Canton.

The Patriots scored 158 points to finish third behind champion Dublin Jerome (320).

Williams also teamed with Aiden Gaier, Gavin Weis and Mason Miller to place second in the 400 free relay (3:10.31) and teamed with Miller, Gaier and Keegan McCauley to finish sixth in the 200 medley relay (1:37.9).

Jack Franz was fifth in the 500 free (4:49.7) and Anthony Sciulli was second in diving (445.6).

—Michael Rich

•Lauren Klinefelter of the Columbus Academy girls swimming and diving team set program records in the 200 individual medley (2:08.29) and 100 butterfly (55.81) during the Northeast Classic on Jan. 15 at Branin Natatorium in Canton.

Abby Wilson, a 2015 graduate, held the previous record in the 200 IM (2:09.17) and Abby Brown, a 2013 graduate, had the previous mark in the 100 fly (56.66).

Klinefelter, a senior, finished third in the 100 fly and ninth in the 200 IM as Academy placed 15th (49) behind champion New Albany (303).

The boys team tied for 24th (20) behind champion Dublin Jerome (320).

—Frank DiRenna

•Led by freshman Millie Evans, the Bexley girls swimming and diving team set three program records in the Northeast Classic on Jan. 15 at Branin Natatorium in Canton.

Evans set the new standard in the 100 fly while finishing ninth in 55.49.

She also joined sophomores Anja Hoy and Annabel Long and freshman Owynn LaFollette to set program records in the 200 medley relay (1:53.55) and 400 free relay (3:45.01). The relays both placed 11th in the preliminaries.

—Scott Hennen

•Junior Nicholas Minkin set a program record for the Bexley boys swimming and diving team in the Northeast Classic on Jan. 15 at Branin Natatorium in Canton. Minkin finished fifth in the 100 back in 53.25.

—Scott Hennen

Super 7 polls: Four new teams join boys, girls basketball rankings

•Isaiah Johnson matched a program record for 3-pointers in a game in helping the Westerville South boys basketball team remain undefeated with a 54-49 win over Dublin Jerome on Jan. 17.

Johnson connected on seven 3s and hit two free throws in the closing seconds to help South hold off Jerome in the One Westerville MLK Basketball Classic at Westerville North. He finished with a game-high 23 points.

Johnson matched the effort of 2006 graduate Michael Calo, who made seven 3s in a 61-48 win over Dublin Coffman in January 2006. Calo is the son of South coach Ed Calo.

“Isaiah was feeling it,” coach Calo said. “What happens with us when one guy is down, another guy picks him up. We have guys who are capable. There’s a lot of burden on (Drey Carter). He has a lot of pressure. Everybody is double-teaming him and making sure that their defense is set against him, so when they do that, it gives some other people some open opportunities and our guys have to cash it out.”

South improved to 13-0 and will visit Dublin Scioto in an OCC-Capital Division game Jan. 21. The Wildcats are tied for second with Pickerington Central in the Division I state poll, behind Centerville.

—Frank DiRenna

•Ten consecutive wins have catapulted the Pickerington Central boys basketball team to a tie for second place with Westerville South in this week’s Division I state poll, and coach Eric Krueger admitted not all of them have been things of beauty.

At 11-1 overall and 4-1 in the OCC-Buckeye Division, the Tigers’ past three wins have come against then-eighth-ranked Gahanna (58-53 on Jan. 8), Reynoldsburg (44-40 on Jan. 14) and Garfield Heights (62-36 on Jan. 16) in Flyin’ to the Hoop at Kettering Fairmont.

“We’ve talked about grinding out possessions,” said Krueger, whose team is seeking its second consecutive league championship and ninth district title in 11 seasons. “Sometimes you win not playing the best you can play. You have to find a way to grind it out, gut it out on both sides of the ball. Defensively, we just try to lock in and find a way to win possessions.”

The Tigers used a late 6-0 run to subdue Reynoldsburg and controlled the game throughout against Garfield Heights as Devin Royal recorded 27 points and six rebounds.

“Playing in tight games, that’s the kind of game we’re going to see in the tournament,” Krueger said. “Those are the games you learn and grow from as a team.”

—Dave Purpura

•With a 77-60 victory over Africentric on Jan. 14, the Walnut Ridge boys basketball team remained in contention for the City League-South championship.

The Scots dropped their first three games but have lost just once since and are 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the league.

The win over Africentric gave Walnut Ridge a season split with the Nubians, who are 9-3 overall and 6-1 in the league.

Zion Blevins had 25 points and Dominique Aekins scored 24 against Africentric for the Scots, who then beat Dayton Thurgood Marshall 75-38 on Jan. 15 in the Battle in the 614 at Ohio Dominican.

Aekins, a sophomore guard, averages 17.8 points, while Na’Varion Adams, a sophomore forward, averages 13.2 points.

Walnut Ridge played host to Eastmoor Academy on Jan. 18 and follows the next day with a matchup at Gahanna, which is fifth in the Division I state poll.

—Jarrod Ulrey

•The Olentangy Orange boys basketball team is 7-5 entering its OCC-Central home game against Hilliard Davidson on Jan. 21. All of the Pioneers’ losses have come in league play.

“I’m just trying to figure out how to get through this league,” coach Anthony Calo said. “We have lost two by three (points) and two others by five. We’re doing things right, but we’re just coming up short.”

The Pioneers lost to Davidson 47-44 on Dec. 3, Upper Arlington 56-53 on Dec. 17, Dublin Coffman 51-46 on Dec. 10 and Olentangy Liberty 53-48 on Jan. 14. Their other loss came against Hilliard Bradley 44-33 on Jan. 6.

Mike McCollum scored 13 points with three 3-pointers and Eddie Brown added 10 points as Orange defeated New Philadelphia 44-33 in the Battle in the 614 on Jan. 15 at Ohio Dominican.

—Scott Hennen

•Cooper Davis was just 3-for-30 from 3-point range through the Olentangy Liberty boys basketball team’s first four games.

But he’s found his stroke, most recently knocking down four 3s and scoring 21 points in a 57-50 win over St. Charles on Jan. 15.

Davis has made 32 of 73 3s (43.8%) since his early slump. His increase in productivity from behind the arc coincides with the Patriots’ improvement as a team. Liberty is 7-6 after the win over the Cardinals, which was its fifth consecutive and seventh in eight games.

On Dec. 30, Davis tied the program record with eight 3-pointers in a 99-58 win over Lyon County (Kentucky). Henry Hinkle, a 2021 graduate who now plays at Ohio Wesleyan, also holds the mark, which was set in the 2020-21 season opener against Marietta.

—Michael Rich

•The Hartley boys basketball team has struggled to find its footing with three freshmen playing key roles, but coach Randy Kortokrax believes it has begun gaining ground.

On Jan. 14, the Hawks cut an 11-point deficit to 42-37 with 1:01 remaining but fell short 44-39 at Ready, the No. 10 team in the Division III state poll.

Hartley lost to Hilliard Davidson 56-41 on Jan. 16 in the Battle in the 614 at Ohio Dominican to drop to 3-9.

“We’ve got an interesting mix of youth and older guys and we challenge them before the game to just get better and to be physical,” Kortokrax said. “We do some things that hurt us. We missed five straight foul shots in the fourth quarter (against Ready), but I was really happy with the way we played.”

Hartley, which went 13-7 and reached the second round of the Division II district tournament last season, is led by senior forward Amari Gaston (11 points per game) and freshman guard Jaden Calloway (7.5 points).

—Jarrod Ulrey

•Upper Arlington wrestling coach Matt Stout found himself utilizing contacts from more than three decades in the sport when COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the Medina Invitational Tournament the last week of December.

The result was the aptly named “11th Hour Duals,” which took place Dec. 30 at UA and featured eight teams that would have competed at Medina.

“I just looked at the list of teams, utilized my contacts and started pulling something together. It worked out well,” Stout said. “It turned to be a great event. We had (junior varsity) matches, too. It worked out very well ... and some wrestlers probably got more matches in here than they would have at Medina.”

Rounding out the field were Beavercreek, Hilliard Darby, Lebanon, Lancaster, Medina Buckeye, Medina Highland and Teays Valley.

The MIT was to have taken place Dec. 29 and 30 but was canceled Dec. 27.

UA is 1-1 in the OCC-Central entering a Jan. 20 dual at Olentangy Orange and has won two tournaments this season, its home Lee Spitzer Golden Bear Invitational on Dec. 4 and the Firebird Wrestling Classic on Dec. 11 at Kettering Fairmont.

—Dave Purpura

•The two-time defending Division I state champion Gahanna Lincoln girls bowling team continues to impress.

With a 2,247-1,774 victory over Pickerington Central on Jan. 11, the Lions improved to 7-0 overall and in the COHSBC-C Division. It also was the program’s 81st consecutive league victory.

Then on Jan. 15 in the Central District Preview at Columbus Square Bowling Palace, Gahanna rolled a 3,999 to finish first during the qualifying round before beating Columbus South 3-0 and Westerville South and Big Walnut by 3-1 scores to capture the overall championship.

Senior Tori Richardson had a 681 three-game series to earn tournament MVP honors. She and seniors Lindzi Oakman, Delaney Rossette and Addison Watson and sophomore Casey Burns all have averaged 175 to 193 in COHSBC matches.

—Jarrod Ulrey

•Aminata Dicko has set the single-season record for blocks for the Central Crossing girls basketball team.

The 5-9 junior post player had 29 blocks through 15 games for the Comets, who were 3-12 overall and 0-6 in the OCC-Buckeye after losing to Groveport 66-39 on Jan. 14.

The previous record was held by 2006 graduate Andrea Moore, who had 19 blocks in her senior season. Moore finished with a program-record 48 career blocks.

Dicko surpassed the season record with six blocks in a 50-22 victory over Westland on Jan. 4. Through 15 games, she averaged 3.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.9 blocks.

—Scott Hennen

•The Delaware Hayes girls basketball team increased its winning streak to six with a 54-8 victory over Franklin Heights on Jan. 14.

Sophia Midura scored 14 points, Samantha Toney had 13 and Chloe Jeffers added 12 to lead the Pacers, who moved to 10-3 overall and 6-2 in the OCC-Capital.

Jeffers, who scored 16 points in a 42-37 win over Canal Winchester on Jan. 11, is closing in on the 1,000-point milestone, sitting at 931 heading into the Pacers’ game against Upper Arlington on Jan. 18.

—Michael Rich

•Six girls basketball games between Catholic programs are scheduled to be played Jan. 22 at Hartley in “The Battle at the Hawks’ Nest,” which is in its second season of competition.

Watterson plays Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit at 11 a.m., followed by Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary vs. Youngstown Mooney (12:45 p.m.), Alexandria (Kentucky) Brossart vs. Akron Hoban (2:30 p.m.), Toledo St. Ursula Academy vs. Kettering Alter (4:15 p.m.), Park Hills (Kentucky) Notre Dame vs. Rocky River Magnificat (6 p.m.) and Hartley vs. Dayton Carroll (7:45 p.m.).

Watterson is 10-2 and Hartley is 9-3.

—Jarrod Ulrey

•Wellington’s Alexis Burkhalter will continue her tennis career in college at Belmont Abbey, but the three-time Division II state tournament qualifier is spending her winter on a different court.

Burkhalter, a 5-foot-7 senior guard, has proven to be a valuable addition to the Jaguars’ girls basketball team, which was 1-12 overall and 0-9 in the MSL-Ohio entering a Jan. 18 game against Bexley.

After starting the season with 16- and 14-point outings against Liberty Christian and Whitehall, respectively, Burkhalter scored a career-high 25 points Jan. 10 against Grove City Christian. She was averaging a team-leading 11.0 points as well as 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals before Jan. 18.

In tennis, Burkhalter and junior Katie Zerbi were fourth at state in doubles in 2019, second in 2020 and third last fall.

—Dave Purpura

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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Notebook: What's happening in central Ohio high school sports?