DOLA — Van Buren outscored Hardin Northern 14-2 in the first quarter and 21-5 in the second eight minutes as the Knights pulled away for a 54-27 victory in non-conference girls basketball action on Saturday afternoon.

Starting two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior and having only three players on his roster with any significant varsity experience, Kenton boys basketball coach Matt McCullough was uncertain about what to expect from his young team heading into Friday’s season-opener against Indian Lake.

ADA — With Ridgemont on their tails for the first three quarters, the Ada Bulldogs were looking to distance themselves from the Gophers in the final quarter of Friday night’s boys basketball season opener. The Bulldogs did just that, outscoring the Gophers 17-5 in the quarter to take the 53-35 win over their inter-county opponent.

MOUNT BLANCHARD — A lopsided first quarter was all the Carey boys basketball team needed Friday to earn some revenge against Riverdale 83-58 in the opening game of the 2017-18 season. Carey smartly put the ball in the hands of 6-7 forward Hayden Stone early. Stone scored six of Carey’s first eight points, including the game’s first basket on an impressive put-back alley-oop lay-up, as the Blue Devils ran out to an 8-0 lead.

McGUFFEY — Upper Scioto Valley was four seconds away from a regulation girls basketball win on Thursday night when Riverside’s Shelby Giles nailed a three-pointer to tie the game. It took double overtime, but the host Rams finally managed to outlast the Pirates, outscoring them 7-1 in the second OT period to claim a 47-41 Northwest Central Conference win.

MT. BLANCHARD — As impressed as first-year Riverdale girls basketball coach Emily Reynolds was with the Falcons’ accomplishments in her first varsity victory Tuesday as a coach, there was an area she wanted the Falcons to improve.

DOLA — Elgin scored the first nine points of the game and didn’t let up from there on the way to a 89-27 victory over a short-handed Hardin Northern girls basketball squad in a Northwest Central Conference opener on Thursday night.

WAYNESFIELD — Ridgemont took control early in the game, outscoring host Waynesfield-Goshen by 18 points before holding off a second half Tiger rally on the way to 52-41 victory in a Northwest Central Conference girls basketball opener on Thursday.

RICHWOOD — North Union outscored Ben Logan in all four quarters, including by 11 points in the second eight minutes, on the way to a 54-33 win over the visiting Raiders in girls basketball action on Thursday night. The host Wildcats led 14-10 after one quarter before outscoring Ben Logan 17-6 in the second quarter to take command of the game.

BELLEFONTAINE — The Ben Logan Middle School girls basketball teams dropped a pair of games to Jonathan Alder on Thursday. Jonathan Alder won the seventh grade game 29-24.