Boys Basketball: Versatile Delaware Hayes holds off Westerville North, takes OCC-Capital lead
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Delaware’s Carter Piatt-Brown shoots against Westerville North on Jan. 23 at Delaware. Photo: John Hulkenberg
The Delaware Hayes boys basketball team has a lot of different players that can score and a lot of different athletes that can handle the ball. Perhaps the most encompassing of this idea is Carter Piatt Brown.
If the name doesn’t sound familiar, it’s because the Pacers feature a litany of talent in their lineup, so it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.
Not Piatt Brown. Even if he doesn’t score a single point, he still makes an impact.
Well, the junior guard went for 18 points and four assists and weathered an attacking defense without turning the ball over to lead Delaware to a 72-66 win over Westerville North.
The host Pacers, who improved to 14-1 overall take sole possession of first place in the OCC-Capital Division at 8-1 with a win over the Warriors on Jan. 23.
“(Piatt Brown) doesn’t show up in the box a lot,” Delaware coach Adam Vincenzo said. “He’ll have his moments and he’s more than capable. We’ve got a lot of dudes though. I think he’s the perfect glue guy for us. He guards – we’re putting him on (opponents’) best players when we’re matched up.
Delaware’s Will Sims goes up against Westerville North’s Micah Young on Jan. 23 at Delaware. Photo: John Hulkenberg
“He’s got length, he can rebound, he can shoot it – so he’s (really) a good Swiss army knife for us. Obviously, we’ve got some other guys that get more put, but he’s huge for us. When he’s playing well, we’re playing well.”
Piatt Brown is perfectly comfortable with the moniker.
“I like the (Swiss army knife) name because it means I can do everything – even if it’s not showing up in the box score,” he said.
North, which fell to 12-3 overall and 7-2 in the league, sit tied for second with rival Westerville South. The two teams meet on Jan. 26 at North.
Piatt Brown was one of four in double figures for the Pacers, including Landon Vandenwarker (also 18 points), Jesse Burris (17) and Jake Lowman.
Those four plus Jeremiah Russell, Drew Banaszak and Chase Griggs all handled the ball at one point or another.
“Really it’s just trying to attack their weakest opponent,” Piatt Brown said. “We’ve got ball handlers all over the court. It’s kind of like picking your poison with us because everybody can bring it up the court.”
Delaware led by as many as 14 points on a couple of occasions in the second half.
Vanderwarker added 12 rebounds and a pair of blocks to his ledger and Lowman added six assists to lead the Pacers, who had 16 turnovers as a team.
Delaware’s Jesse Burris moves with the ball against Westerville North on Jan. 23 at Delaware. Photo: John Hulkenberg
“(Our depth) was a luxury we didn’t have in years past,” said Burris, a senior guard/forward, who added seven points, three assists and three rebounds. “Now that we’ve put in the time and the work – we’ve got (good) chemistry and everything. I know if I’m not having an on night, someone else has to because the (defense) is doing everything to take me away. That means someone else is open.”
Micah Young went for 20 points and 10 rebounds and Tai Perkins added 19 points, three assists and three steals for the Warriors, who had 12 steals in total.
“They’re good; we’re good,” North coach Shan Trusley said. “They’re hard to guard. (They’re) hard to pressure when they have five guys in their lineup that can bring it up. It makes it a little more difficult to determine where our traps are going to come from.”
Vari Adams had 10 points and three rebounds, Tyson Perkins added seven points, four assists and three rebounds and Eyon Robinson also had seven points, adding three assists and three assists for North, which got as close as five down the stretch and as close as one early in the second half after trailing by as much as 11 in the second quarter.
Delaware is the second-ranked team in the Central District in Division I in the MaxPreps RPI, which determines postseason seeding. The Warriors are third.
“They’re good; we’re good,” Trusley said. “I love my kids and we’re having a really good season. We’re just going to get back to it tomorrow because we play South on Friday.”
The Pacers only loss against South (73-65 on Dec. 22), which it hosts on Feb. 2. But next up is Worthington Kilbourne on Jan. 26.
Westerville North’s Eyon Robinson puts up a shot against Delaware’s Landon Vanderwarker on Jan. 23 at Delaware. Photo: John Hulkenberg