A balanced scoring effort on Saturday propelled Teays Valley to a 53-38 Mid-State League Buckeye Division win over host Hamilton Township.
The Vikings led 19-12 after a quarter of play and expanded their advantage to 30-22 at intermission and 45-32 entering the fourth quarter.
Eli Burgett had six points in the first quarter and all 12 of his points by intermission and Jackson Smith scored six of his 10 points in the opening stanza.
“I thought that we started a little slow. The guys continue to give great effort and are working really hard. I am very pleased with where we are at right now and the direction we are headed,” Teays Valley coach Brian Barnett said. “We got good scoring today from different players.
“I was glad to see Jackson shooting the ball with confidence again. He has been in a little slump and today provided us with some big baskets when we needed them. I can not say enough about how Eli is playing right now, he is moving real well and keeping balls alive on the offensive boards.”
Reese Sauerbrun scored 11 points on the afternoon for the Vikings and Garrett Meddock chipped in nine.
“We played better defensively in the second half, only giving up 16 points,” Barnett commented. “Reese has worked real hard on developing his shot over the summer and through the winter. He stays after practice everyday and gets extra reps in and it is paying off for him. Our freshmen point guard Luke Sachs did a nice job this afternoon handling the ball and pushing the tempo for us. We are a very good team when we get into transition and that’s what Luke did for us in the second half.”
The Vikings (9-9) host Dublin Scioto on Tuesday for a sectional semifinal.