Highlights

Basketball Highlights

History in the Making!!!!

Lady Raiders advance to district title game with win against Archbold
BY KEVIN WANNEMACHER

Times Bulletin Staff

kwannemacher@timesbulletin.com

NAPOLEON - Sara Priest scored 20 points and dished out six assists while Elyse Myers recorded a double-double to lead Wayne Trace past Archbold 67-51 in Division III district semifinal action at Napoleon High School Thursday evening.

The Raiders, who continue a record-setting season, advance to Saturday's district championship where they will face Tinora. The Rams (21-2) cruised past St. Henry 57-41 to set up a Green Meadows Conference showdown. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Wayne Trace, now 16-4, used a 9-0 run late in the first quarter to take control of the contest and the Blue Streaks never recovered.

With Archbold leading 12-10, an Elyse Myers bucket tied the contest at 12-12 before two Kacee Hockenberry free throws put the Raiders on top 14-12.

Priest pushed the Raider lead to 16-10 late in the stanza but Wayne Trace was not done. An Archbold turnover led to a Becky Ruble trey that put the Raiders up 19-10 at the end of one quarter.

"We got lazy with the basketball there at the end of the first quarter and they made us pay for it," Archbold coach Kevin Miller said. "That was just typical of the entire night. Wayne Trace did a good job of forcing turnovers and they converted them into points."

The lady Raiders then opened the second stanza with a Priest basket and Ruble treys on three consecutive possessions to take a 30-18 advantage.

"The little run there late in the first quarter and into the second was big," Wayne Trace coach Greg Davis said. "That got the momentum on our side and I thought the girls did a good job of taking advantage of that."

Archbold's Stacy Wyse responded with two foul shots and a basket on the next two Blue Streak possessions to get the Fulton County squad within 30-22 at the 2:35 mark.

However, Wayne Trace closed the half on a 9-2 run, led by three Priest baskets, to take a 39-24 advantage into the break.

"They made a little run to get back into it but our kids came right back and answered," Davis said. "That was crucial for us to do that. I thought we came out in the second half then and really played well."

The Raiders opened the third quarter with an 11-2 spurt to take a commanding 50-26 advantage. Archbold would not threaten from that point on.

"Every time we tried to get back into the contest then would come up with a run to answer it," Miller said. "Wayne Trace is a very good basketball team and it showed tonight. They are playing very well right now."

The Red, White and Blue led by as much as 54-27 in the quarter before settling on a 54-31 lead entering the final stanza.

Ruble chipped in a dozen markers for the Raiders while also getting seven rebounds. Renee Bidlack picked up six boards and Jo Ellen Fickel grabbed five. Kacee Hockenberry added three assists for the Raiders.

"We had a lot of girls contribute tonight," concluded Davis. "Sara had a tremendous floor game tonight and I thought Elyse did a great job on the boards. Becky hit some big shots. It will take this kind of effort from all of them to compete from now on. I'm very proud of the girls for their efforts tonight."

Andrea Allen scored a dozen points to lead Archbold with Wyse chipping in 10. The Blue Streaks close the year at 15-8.

Both teams committed 18 turnovers on the night but Wayne Trace won the battle of the boards, 36-29. The Raiders also shot 49 percent compared to the Blue Streaks' 17 of 50 (34 percent).

WT wins first sectional title
BY JIM COX

Times Bulletin Correspondent

sports@timesbulletin.com

VAN WERT - On paper, Saturday night's Van Wert Division III sectional final looked like a mismatch. After the first 12 minutes it was. Wayne Trace (now 16-4) pulled away for a 62-38 victory against the Coldwater Cavaliers (4-18). The Lady Raiders play Archbold (15-7) in the Napoleon district semifinal Thursday night at 6:15.

At times, though, Wayne Trace's Gus Davis was an anxious coach. Early in the second period the Raiders led 18-8 and appeared to be on their way to the expected romp. Suddenly, however, the error-prone Cavs got their act together and reeled off eight points in a row to cut the gap to 18-16 with 4:10 left in the half.

"We thought we could pressure their guards and get some easy baskets in transition," Davis said. "We weren't getting those, though. In the past four or five games we've gotten off to slow starts. We have to get rid of those slow starts or they'll eventually do us in."

Not to worry, Coach. Four Raider buckets in a row - from Sara Priest (a 3 from straight out), Renee Bidlack (put-back), Priest again (drive and layup) and Elyse Myers (acrobatic layup) - put Wayne Trace on top 27-16 at the break. The Raiders extended that 9-0 run with the first four points of the third quarter (a 15-foot baseline jumper by Becky Ruble and a nifty driving layup by 5-foot-3 freshman sparkplug Kacee Hockenberry) - 31-16, Raiders. This time the Cavaliers had no answers.

It was Ruble who got the Raiders off on the right foot. The 5-8 senior scored 12 points in the first quarter, including two 3s. Ruble and Becky Hicks are the only seniors on the Wayne Trace roster, which bodes well for the future.

"Becky Ruble played an excellent game," Davis said. "We need that out of her all the time." Ruble is the Raiders' second leading scorer this season, averaging between 10 and 11 per game. Bidlack is the team's scoring leader at about 12 per game.

With the exception of turnovers (19 by the Raiders), Wayne Trace compiled some impressive statistics - 50 percent field goal shooting (21 of 42) and 71 percent free throw shooting (15 of 21). The Cavs, on the other hand, hit only 35 percent (17 of 48) from the field and 50 percent (3 of 6) from the stripe. Coldwater turned it over 23 times.

First it was the Green Meadows Conference championship - now a sectional championship. Both are uncharted waters for Wayne Trace girls' basketball.

"Nobody here has ever done it," Davis said. "They talked about winning the conference and winning a sectional, and they're tickled to have done it."

Ruble and Bidlack led Raider scoring with 20 and 14. Kelley Lefeld, a 6-0 senior, tallied 10 for the Cavaliers.

Score by quarters:

Wayne Trace 16 11 19 16 - 62

Coldwater 8 8 10 12 - 38

Wayne Trace (62)

Hockenberry 3 2-3 9, Priest 2 5-8 9, Myers 2 0-2 4, Bidlack 5 4-4 14, Ruble 7 2-2 20, Hicks 0 0-0 0, Fickle 0 2-2 2, Miller 2 0-0 4, Stoller 0 0-0 0, Davis 0 0-0 0, Ulm 0 0-0 0, Sinn 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 15-21 62.

Coldwater (38)

Fisher 1 0-0 2, Wenning 4 0-0 8, Hess 1 0-0 3, Uhlenhake 2 0-0 4, Kelley Lefeld 5 0-0 10, Stucke 1 0-0 2, Katie Lefeld 3 0-0 6, Muhlenkamp 0 1-2 1, Wermert 0 2-4 2, Howell 0 0-0 0, Schmackers 0 0-0 0, Geier 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 3-6 38.

3-point field goals: Wayne Trace 5 (Ruble 4, Hockeberry), Coldwater 1 (Hess).

Lady Raiders claim first league crown outright
BY KEVIN WANNEMACHER

Times Bulletin Staff

kwannemacher@timesbulletin.com

HAVILAND - With an outright Green Meadows Conference title on the line, the lady Raiders of Wayne Trace made quick work of visiting Ayersville in a 70-24 rout of the Pilots at The Palace Thursday evening.

With the victory, Wayne Trace wraps up an outright GMC championship, the first in Raider school history. The Red, White and Blue also set a new record for victories in a season with 15, eclipsing the old school record of 13 set in 1989-1990.

"This is a tremendous accomplishment for these girls," Raider coach Greg Davis said after the contest. "The No. 1 goal all year was to win the league and they did that. These kids have worked very hard to achieve things and have put a lot of time in. They deserve all the credit."

After a sluggish start to the contest, Wayne Trace put together a 12-0 run to end the first quarter and never looked back. Tied at 4-4, two Kacee Hockenberry free throws and a Becky Ruble bucket put the Raiders on top 8-4.

Following a Pilot timeout, the local squad added a Renee Bidlack trey and a Sara Priest foul shot for a 12-4 lead. Wayne Trace then closed out the first stanza with a pair of Priest buckets to take a commanding 16-4 advantage.

"We had another slow start," Davis said. "That is one thing we will have to work on and must get better at. But I thought we were getting good shots early and they just didn't fall."

The Raiders then opened the second quarter with six straight points, led by a Hockenberry trey and bucket, to push the margin to 22-4.

Ayersville cut the lead to 25-8 on a Kim Comden basket but that was as close as the Pilots would get. The Raiders responded by scoring eight straight points and finished the half on a 16-5 run to open a 41-13 advantage at the intermission.

Comden led the Pilots (5-15 overall, 2-5 GMC) with a dozen points on the night while also picking up seven rebounds.

"Our defensive pressure caused them a lot of problems," Davis said. "We were able to get some easy baskets and then it just seemed like once we started, we just kept going."

The Raiders limited the Pilots to four points in the third quarter in widening the margin to 57-17. Davis then pulled the starters on the first whistle into the fourth stanza, enabling them to get a well deserved round of applause by the Wayne Trace faithful.

"These seniors have done a great job this year and the whole team has been very focused on the goals," concluded the Raider mentor. "The girls came into the year with certain things they wanted to accomplish. They have done the first portion of that. The second part of it starts next week."

Hockenberry scored 13 points to lead the Raiders, now 15-4 overall, while Priest chipped in a dozen markers. Bidlack added 10 for Wayne Trace. Becky Hicks and Rylee Ulm each grabbed six rebounds for the Red, white and Blue with Priest getting seven steals. Hicks also dished out four assists.

Wayne Trace's junior varsity wrapped up its season with a record of 13-6 after recording a 32-29 win against the Pilots.

Ulm bucketed 16 points to pace the Raiders while also grabbing six rebounds and recording three steals. Jenna Stoller added seven markers.

Mariah Elrod scored 16 points to lead Ayersville, which closes at 7-11 overall.

The Raiders will open sectional tournament action on Saturday, February 16, as Wayne Trace participates in the Division III sectional at Van Wert High School. Wayne Trace will play either Coldwater or Parkway in the 6:15 p.m. game that evening.

Lady Raiders crush Ayersville in GMC
Wayne Trace’s Lady Raiders stayed undefeated in league play by crushing Ayersville 70-24 in the final Green Meadows Conference game of the season. With the victory, Wayne Trace is now 15-4 overall and 7-0 in league play. Ayersville goes to 5-15 overall and 2-5 in the GMC. The Raiders took little time in setting the tone for this game, as they took a 16-4 first-quarter lead and extended it to 28 points, 41-13, at the half. The second half wasn’t any better for the Lady Pilots, who were outscored 29-11 by Wayne Trace. The Raiders had three players in double figures, led by Kacee Hockenberry’s 13 points. Sara Priest added 12 points for Wayne Trace, while Renee Bidlack scored 10 for the Raiders. Becky Ruble added 9 points for Wayne Trace. Kim Comden scored 12 for Ayersville. The Raiders were 24 of 55 from the field (43.6 percent) and made 18 of 27 from the line (66.7 percent). Ayersville hit 10 of 42 field goals (23.8 percent) and was 3 of 7 at the line (42.9 percent). Wayne Trace also led in rebounding, 44-28, and had less than half of the Lady Pilots turnovers (25-12). The Raiders also had an incredible 22 steals, to 5 for Ayersville and also trailed in assists, 9-6. The Wayne Trace jayvees also won, 32-29.

Wayne Trace 78, Edon 41
The Wayne Trace Lady Raiders also got an easy win over Edon, 71-48, in a non-league contest played on Tuesday. The Lady Raiders had four players in double figures, led by Renee Bidlack’s 17 points. Kacee Hockenberry, Sara Priest and Becky Ruble each scored 10 points for Wayne Trace, while Janelle Davis added 8 points. Makayla Graves scored 11 points for Edon, while Madison Muehlfeld added 10 points. The Lady Raiders led 19-15 at the end of one and were up by 18, 39-21, at halftime. Wayne Trace had a 25-point lead at the end of the third period. The Raiders were 35 of 64 from the field (54.7 percent) – including 6 of 17 from three-point range – but made only 2 of 6 free throws (33.3 percent). Edon was 16 of 44 from the field (36.4 percent), and canned 4 of 8 attempts from the charity stripe (50 percent). Wayne Trace was outrebounded by Edon, 31-28, but had less than half the turnovers (24-10). The Raiders had 15 assists, to 5 for Edon, and stole the ball 17 times to 6 for their opponents. With the win, Wayne Trace is now 14-4 on the year, while Edon falls to 6-13. The Raiders also won the jayvee game, 40-19.

Wayne Trace 47, Holgate 38
The Lady Raiders made school history as they clinched a share of the Green Meadows Conference championship for the first time ever with a 47-38 win over Holgate. Wayne Trace (13-4, 6-0 GMC) trailed by a point, 8-9, at the end of a quarter, but rallied to lead, 22-19, at the half. The Raiders increased their lead to 8 with a 16-11 third-quarter advantage over Holgate (10-9, 3-3 GMC) and then played even the rest of the way. Elyse Myers led Wayne Trace offensively with 16 points, while Sara Priest canned 13 points and Kacee Hockenberry added 11. Beth Giesige of Holgate led all scorers with 20 points, but was the only Lady Tiger in double figures. The Raiders were 18 of 32 from the field (56.3 percent), and hit both of their three-point attempts (100 percent). Holgate was 11 of 38 from the field (28.9 percent) and just 2 of 16 behind the arc (12.5 percent). Wayne Trace hit 9 of 15 free throw attempts (60 percent), while the Tigers canned 15 of 22 at the line (68.2 percent). The Raiders outrebounded Holgate 28-23, but also had more turnovers (18-12). Wayne Trace also won the junior varsity game, 33-15.

Wayne Trace 70, Continental 67

In contrast to Crestview’s easy victory, Wayne Trace had to battle Continental the entire game to come away with a 70-67 non-league win. Continental had the first-quarter lead, 19-15, but the Lady Raiders turned the tables in the second period, outscoring the Lady Pirates 20-14 to take two-point lead, 35-33, at the half. It was tied, 50-all at the end of the third quarter, but Wayne Trace gutted it out in the final stanza to secure the win. Renee Bidlack scored 24 points for the Raiders, while Elyse Myers had 14 and Sara Priest added 12 for Wayne Trace. Continental had four players in double figure, led by Sarah Spitnale’s 23 points. Brooke Tegenkamp added 17 points, while Jessica Brown scored 13 and Rachelle Ford had 10. Both teams shot well from the field, with the Raiders knocking down 21 of 44 field goal attempts (47.7 percent), and Continental nailing 26 of 60 attempts (43.3 percent). The Lady Pirates were 10 of 26 from three-point range as well, for 38.5 percent. Wayne Trace made 27 of 42 free throw shots (64.3 percent), while Continental was 5 of 8 (62.5 percent). The Raiders outrebounded Continental 36-31 and had three fewer turnovers (11-14). The Pirates had 17 assists to 6 for Wayne Trace, while both teams had 9 steals on the night. Continental won the junior varsity contest, 28-23, over the Raider jayvees.

Wayne Trace 79, Fairview 35

The Wayne Trace Lady Raiders stayed unbeaten in Green Meadows Conference play as they dominated Fairview 79-35 on Thursday. Wayne Trace is now 10-4 overall and 5-0 in league play. Fairview is 4-11 overall and 1-4 in the GMC. The Raiders had four players in double figures, led by Renee Bidlack’s 20 points. Jo Ellen Fickel added 12 points, while Janelle Davis and Sara Priest each scored 11 points for Wayne Trace. Katelyn Samples scored 12 points for the Lady Eagles, with Tina Schroeder adding 11 points for Fairview. The Lady Raiders took a 7-point lead, 21-14, at the end of the first quarter and just kept pouring it on, offensively. Wayne Trace had 75 field goal attempts and hit 35 (46.7 percent). The Raiders weren’t as good at the foul line, hitting just 3 of 9 attempts (33.3 percent). Fairview was 9 of 48 from the field (18.75 percent), but hit 15 of 22 at the charity stripe (68.2 percent). Wayne Trace won the rebounding battle, 45-40, and its defense forced the Eagles into 36 turnovers in the game, versus 18 for the Raiders. Wayne Trace also led in assists (17-6) and steals (24-10). The Raider junior varsity also won, 35-30.

LCC 72, Wayne Trace 50

Lima Central Catholic, led by Jenny Lamoreau’s 18 points, wore down the Raiders in the second half for the 72-50 non-league victory. The T-Birds led by only a basket at the half, 32-30, but outscored Wayne Trace 40-20 in the second half for the win. Jo Jo Krieg scored 16 points for LCC, while Liz DePalma added 15 counters and Mary Fisher 10 points. Elyse Myers had 17 points for the Lady Raiders, while Becky Ruble added 11 points. The T-Birds dominated on the boards, pulling down 43 rebounds to just 20 for Wayne Trace. LCC hit 32 of 61 field goal attempts (525 percent) and was 3 of 4 at the line (75 percent). The Raiders made 21 of 51 field goal attempts (41.2 percent) and fared poorly at the foul line with a 5 of 11 performance (45.5 percent). Wayne Trace had 9 turnovers to 11 for the T-Birds and 8 steals to 5 for LCC, but had six fewer assists (18-12). With the win, the T-Birds are now 11-5 on the year, while Wayne Trace falls to 9-4. The Raiders won the junior varsity contest, 33-25.

Raider girls defeat Bulldogs in GMC Match

In Green Meadows Conference action, Wayne Trace powered to a 67-47 win over Edgerton behind Renee Bidlack’s 25 points, including a 10 of 10 performance at the foul line. Elyse Myers scored 13 and Sara Priest 12 to put three players in double figures for the night. Cassie Fitzcharles led Edgerton with 9 points. The Raiders were outrebounded 34-28 by Edgerton, but had 10 fewer miscues (25-15). Edgerton played well in the first half, leading the Raiders 16-14 at the end of the first stanza and 32-28 at the half. But the second half was all Wayne Trace as the Raiders went on an 11-2 run to close the third quarter for a 47-38 lead heading into the final period of play. Any hopes of a comeback were dashed by Wayne Trace, which started the fourth quarter the way it ended the third, with a 10-2 run to put the game out of reach. The Raiders are now 9-3 overall and 4-0 in the GMC, while Edgerton falls to 5-9 overall and 0-4 in league play.

Lady Raiders take down Delphos Jeff
The Wayne Trace Lady Raiders got the early lead and then hung on for a 70-54 non-conference win over Delphos Jefferson on Tuesday. The Lady Raiders led by 13, 20-7, at the end of the first quarter and 35-22 at the half. It was 52-32 at the three-quarter mark. Becky Ruble led Wayne Trace with 31 points, while Sara Priest added 12 points for the Raiders. Jenna Miller scored 23 for the Lady Wildcats, with Stephanie Blockberger added 10 points for Jefferson. Wayne Trace hit 23 of 49 attempts from the field (46.9 percent) and was 16 of 28 from the free throw line (57.1 percent). The Wildcats made 18 of 50 from the field (36 percent) and were 12 of 21 from the line (57.1 percent). The Raiders had a slim edge in rebounding, 34-32, while leading in assists (17-9) and steals (12-10). With the win, Wayne Trace is now 9-3 on the year, while Jefferson falls to 5-7 overall. The Raiders also won the junior varsity game, but the score was much closer, 32-31.

Raider girls down Antwerp in GMC game
The Wayne Trace Lady Raiders handed Green Meadows Conference foe Antwerp (7-7, 2-1) its first league loss, beating the Lady Archers 40-30 on Friday. Kacee Hockenberry led the Raiders (7-3, 3-0) with 11 points, while Antwerp’s Bryn Schlatter was the game’s top scorer with 14 points, and had 14 rebounds to go with them for a double-double performance on the night. Wayne Trace tripled the score on the Archers, 18-6, in the first quarter and then played about even with Antwerp to grab the victory. It was 27-16 at the half and 32-26 at the three-quarter mark. Antwerp did win the junior varsity game, though, edging the Raider JVs 21-19.

Raider girls get OT win over Tinora
Wayne Trace’s Lady Raiders got 21 points from Renee Bidlack, 20 points from Sara Priest and 19 more from Becky Ruble as the Lady Raiders downed Tinora 73-67 in overtime during an exciting Green Meadows Conference match-up on Friday. With the win, Wayne Trace is now 6-3 overall and 2-0 in the GMC. The Lady Rams lost just their second game of the year, going to 9-2 overall and 1-1 in league play. Mallory Eberle led Tinora with 13 points, while Kristina Shawley scored 10 points and had 14 rebounds for a double-double, and Chelsie Timmons, Anna Steffel and Elisha Roberts each added 9 points in the contest. The Lady Rams led by a point, 15-14, at the end of the first stop and were up by two, 30-28, at the half. But Wayne Trace upped the intensity level in the second half, outscoring the Rams 28-25, to tie the game in regulation. In the overtime period, the Raiders ratcheted up the offense, outscoring Tinora 17-11 for the victory. Wayne Trace outshot the Rams, hitting 25 of 52 field goal attempts for 48 percent. Tinora was 24 of 55 (44 percent) from the field. The Raiders were also 18 of 26 at the line (69 percent), while Tinora made 11 of 18 at the line for 61 percent. The Rams outrebounded Wayne Trace, 38-29, but the Raiders had seven fewer turnovers (18-11) in the contest. Tinora’s junior varsity team won, 36-26, over the Raider JVs.

Wayne Trace defeats Fort Jennings
The Wayne Trace Lady Raiders downed Fort Jennings, 64-49, in a non-conference game Thursday evening. Elyse Myers led Wayne Trace with 15 points and 9 rebounds, while Becky Ruble scored 11 points and Jo Ellen Fickel added 10 points and 6 rebounds for the Raiders. Katie Von Lehmden led the Indians with 17 points and four assists, while Leah Kimmet added 16 points. With the win, Wayne Trace is now 4-3 on the year, while Fort Recovery falls to 1-8.

Lancers rally to defeat Wayne Trace
The Lincolnview Lancer girls’ basketball team staged a successful second-half rally to defeat the Wayne Trace Lady Raiders 49-41 in a non-conference game played Monday at Wayne Trace. Lincolnview had taken a five-point first-quarter lead, 14-9, which was cut to a single point in the second period when the Lady Raiders outscored Lincolnview 9-5 to trail 19-18 at the half. It looked bad for the Lancers with about 3½ minutes left in the third quarter and Wayne Trace up by five points, 28-23. However, Lincolnview outscored the Raiders 6-0 in the remainder of the quarter to go back up by one, 29-28, and then went on a 20-13 run in the final stanza for the win. Lancer Kylie Honigford led all scorers with 16 points, while Lauren Evans added 10 points, Brittany Katalenas scored 9 counters and Katie Honigford added 8 for Lincolnview. The Raiders were led by Renee Bidlack’s 14 points, while Elyse Myers added 12 points for Wayne Trace. The Lancers hit 16 of 44 from the field for 36.4 percent (2 of 5 from three-point range for 40 percent), while Wayne Trace was 17 of 50 for 34 percent (1 of 8 from behind the arc (12.5 percent). The Raiders led in rebounds, 38-32, but had more turnovers (27-19) than Lincolnview. Both teams has 12 steals, while Wayne Trace led in assists, 9-1. With the win, the Lancers are now 3-2 overall, while Wayne Trace is now 3-3 on the year. The Raider junior varsity squad won that match-up, 33-31.

Score by Quarters
Teams	1^st Quarter	2^nd Quarter	3^rd Quarter	4^th Quarter	Total
Lincolnview	14	5	10	20	49
Wayne Trace	9	9	10	13	41

Wayne Trace Defeats Paulding 68 to 57

Score by Quarters:
Wayne Trace (3-2)	12	19	17	20	=	68
Paulding (1-2)	14	14	8	21	=	57

Wayne Trace	2pt	3pt	FT	OR	DR	A	S	Pts
Kacee Hockenberry	4-10	1-4	0-2	2	2	3	1	11
Becky Hicks	2-5		1-3	3		1	5	5
Sara Priest	1-5		2-2	1	2	6	4	4
Elyse Myers	7-14		4-6	3	7		3	18
Renee Bidlack	3-6	0-2			1		3	6
Becky Ruble	2-4	3-8	0-1	4	6	2	3	13
Chelsea Miller	1-1							2
Jo Ellen Fickel	4-7		1-2	4	4		3	9
Totals	24-52	4-15	8-16	19	22	12	22	68

Lady Raiders Win their 2nd Game of the Season
Wayne Trace's girls defeated Bryan 73-53 in non-conference action on Tuesday. The Lady Raiders were led by three players in double figures, including Renee Bidlack (19 points), Kacee Hockenberry (14 points) and Sara Priest (12 points). Brigitte Kuszmaul and Brooke Haines each had 12 points to pace the Lady Golden Bears. Bryan had more rebounds, 34-25, but also made more turnover, 30-22. The Raider girls had a 40-21 halftime lead and increased the lead to 26 points at the three-quarter mark, but Bryan made a fourth-quarter run, outscoring Wayne Trace 21-15 to get within 20 at the end.

Lady Raiders beat Panthers for 1st win
Wayne Trace had three players in double figures as the Lady Raiders got their first win of the season, 71-45, over Parkway in a non-conference game on Tuesday. Becky Ruble led Wayne Trace with 18 points, while Elyse Myers had 14 and Renee Bidlack added 12 counters for the victors. Tara Luth led the Lady Panthers with 10 points, while Hannah Harshman and Jamie Guggenbiller each had 8 for Parkway. The Raiders started off with a bang, outscoring Parkway 24-5 in the first quarter. The Panthers cut the lead to 11 with a 19-11 second period to trail 35-24 at the half. The Raiders weren't done, though, not by a long shot. Wayne Trace put 36 points up in the second half, while holding the Panthers to 21 for the 26-point margin of victory. Turnovers hurt Parkway (1-1), which had 27 miscues to 17 for the Raiders. Wayne Trace led in rebounding, 50-40, while also grabbing 15 steals, to 7 for the Panthers. The Raider junior varsity team also won, 53-23.

Big Green wins Tip-Off tourney title
Ottoville girls won the first-ever McDonald’s Tip-Off Classic basketball tournament held over the weekend with a 52-42 victory Saturday over the Van Wert Lady Cougars. The Big Green had a big second quarter, in which they outscored Van Wert 21-2, and then held off a Cougar charge in the second half to grab the tourney title. In the consolation game, a big second-quarter run by Crestview gave the Lady Knights a 39-25 victory over Wayne Trace. Ottoville had three players in double figures in Saturday’s game. Post player Brittany Pohlman added a 15-point performance in the championship game to the 11 points she scored against Crestview in a preliminary game on Friday to lead the Big Green both nights. Gina Beining had a double-double (12 points and 11 rebounds), while Tricia Honigford had 11 points in Saturday’s contest. Nikki Morrow led Van Wert with 15 points – including all three of the team’s three-pointers – while Jessica McClellan had 11 points in the contest. Morrow was 6 of 9 (66.7 percent) from the field, including 3 of 6 trey attempts. After both teams played to a 9-9 tie at the end of a quarter, the Big Green exploded for 21 points in the second quarter, while Van Wert’s offense could only generate a basket. That gave Ottoville a 31-12 advantage, and a 19-point halftime lead. It wasn’t over, though, by any means. Morrow and McClellan led a second-half Cougar rally that cut the Ottoville lead to single digits on a couple occasions. But even though Van Wert outscored the Big Green 31-22 in the second half, it wasn’t enough to overcome Ottoville’s big lead. The Big Green also won the battle of the boards, grabbing 29 rebounds to 17 for Van Wert. Ottoville had 16 turnovers to 12 for the Cougars. The Big Green hit 19 of 42 field goal attempts (3 of 12 three-pointers) for 45.2 percent. Van Wert made 18 of 38 attempts (3 of 11 three-pointers) for 37.5 percent. Both teams shot well at the line, although Ottoville had 11 more attempts. The Big Green converted on 10 of 14 free throws (71.4 percent) while Van Wert hit all three of its charity tosses (100 percent). Ottoville is now 2-0 on the year, while the Cougars are 1-1 overall. In the consolation game, the Knights’ Kelsey Nedderman and Carly Lichtensteiger returned to their offensive leadership positions -- although both scored well below their 2006-2007 season averages. Nedderman led Crestview with 8 points and 6 rebounds, hitting 4 of 7 from the field. Lichtensteiger was only 1 of 5 from the field, but hit all four free throw attempts for a total of 6 points and 5 rebounds. The Raiders’ Renee Bidlack was the only player in double figures, with 10 points. Sara Priest had eight rebounds for Wayne Trace. Crestview had a 7-3 lead at the end of a quarter and then outscored the Raiders 16-5 in the second stanza for a 15-point lead (23-8) at the half. Both teams played fairly even in the second half, with Wayne Trace scoring 17 points in the half, to 16 for the Knights. Cold shooting and turnovers plagued the Raiders during Saturday’s game. Wayne Trace made only 8 of 32 field goal attempts for 25 percent, while turning the ball over 23 times. The Raiders were better at the line, hitting 9 of 15 for 60 percent. Crestview made 12 of 33 field goal tries (36.4 percent) and canned 13 of 18 from the line (72.2 percent). The Knights had 14 turnovers, but nearly equaled that in steals, with 12. The Raiders outrebounded Crestview at both ends of the court for a 25-15 advantage in that category. With the win, the Knights are now 1-1 on the year, while the Raiders fall to 0-2.

Game 1 -- Score by Quarters
Team	1^st Quarter	2^nd Quarter	3^rd Quarter	4^th Quarter	Total
Crestview	7	16	6	10	39
Wayne Trace	3	5	4	13	25

Individual Scoring
Crestview (39) – Thompson 4, Henry 3, Nedderman 8, Myers 5, Hartman 2, Eickholt 5, Motycka 1, Hall 5, Lichtensteiger 6. Totals: 12-13-18-39.
Wayne Trace (25) – Hockenberry 4, Hicks 1, Priest 4, Myers 1, Bidlack 10, Ruble 3, Fickle 2. Totals: 8-9-15-25.

Cougars eke out win over Wayne Trace
Jessica McClellan and Hannah Phlipot each scored 15 points to lead Van Wert to slim victory over Wayne Trace, 48-46, in the McDonald’s Tip-Off Tournament held in the Van Wert High School gymnasium on Friday. But it was McClellan’s lay-up with just over 2 seconds left that sealed the win for the Lady Cougars. Sara Priest led the Raiders with 10 points, while Jo Ellen Fickle had 9 points and Renee Bidlack added 8 points for Wayne Trace. Nikki Morrow scored 8 points for the host team. The Raiders got the jump on Van Wert in the first half, outscoring the Cougars 12-9 in the first quarter and 13-12 in the second period for a four-point lead, 25-21, at the half. Van Wert returned the favor in the second half, outscoring the Raiders 16-13 in the third stanza and 11-8 in the final quarter for the win. Wayne Trace outrebounded the Cougars 37-25 but also had more turnovers, 16-12. Madison Moonshower led Van Wert in rebounds, with seven, while Bidlack had nine for the Raiders. The Cougars won with the three-pointer, making seven in the game, while missing 14 for 33.3 percent. Wayne Trace had a better percentage from behind the arc (50 percent), but attempted only four treys. The Raiders were 16 of 42 from the field for 38.1 percent, while Van Wert hit 16 of 44 attempts for 36.4 percent. The Cougars also had nine steals, to five for Wayne Trace. Van Wert (1-0) will now play Ottoville (1-0) in the championship game, while the Raiders and Crestview, both now 0-1, will square off in the consolation game, while begins at 6 tonight.
Photo caption: Van Wert's Hannah Phlipot (32 white) muscles her way inside during last night's game against Wayne Trace in the McDonald's Tip-Off Tournament in the VWHS gymnasium. Jan Dunlap/Van Wert independent (reprints can be obtained; email snapshotjan@embarqmail.com)

Score by quarters	1^st Quarter	2^nd Quarter	3^rd Quarter	4^th Quarter	Total
Wayne Trace	12	13	13	8	46
Van Wert	9	12	16	11	48

Individual scoring
Wayne Trace (46) – Hockenberry 5, Hicks 2, Priest 10, Myers 5, Bidlack 8, Ruble 7, Fickle 9; 16-12-20-46.
Van Wert (48) – H. Thomas 1, McClellan 15, Morrow 8, Stanski 2, K. Thomas 6, Phlipot 15, Moonshower 1; 16-9-17-48.