On Tuesday, Olentangy was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 57-51 to Westland.
When it comes to explaining why Olentangy lost, one person who can't be blamed is Gavin Grover. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 16 points and 15 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Grover scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Jay Agrawal, who scored ten points.
Even though they lost, Olentangy were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Leading Westland to victory were Noah Kershaw and Breaker Heller Jr.. Kershaw scored 19 points along with seven rebounds, while Heller Jr. dropped a double-double on 20 points and 11 rebounds. That makes it four consecutive games in which Kershaw has scored at least 25% of Westland's points. Franklin Tejada was another key contributor, scoring six points along with five rebounds.
Olentangy bumped their record down to 2-2 with that defeat, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.5 points per game. As for Westland, the victory got them back to even at 2-2.
Olentangy will head out on the road to face off against Westerville Central at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Westerville Central presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Olentangy in Ohio (Westerville Central is ranked 51st, while Olentangy is ranked 242nd). Westland will be home for the holidays to greet Hilliard Bradley at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
