PREP ROUNDUP | Waynedale picks up big nonleague win over Tuslaw
Tuesday, Nov. 30
BOYS BASKETBALL
Waynedale 62, Tuslaw 58 (OT)
Dawson Troyer drained a triple, Josiah Raber sank a pair of free throws, Ian Lehman hit a bucket and Waynedale outscored Tuslaw 9-5 in overtime. It all added up to a big win over a tough non-conference opponent for Waynedale — a common occurrence in recent years.
Waynedale's last loss to a nonleague opponent? Jan. 4, 2020 to Strasburg-Franklin. Both of the Bears' tournament losses over the past few years were to WCAL teams.
"We are always happy to get the win and I thought this is what we needed to start the year,” said coach Dane Held, who picked up his first win at Waynedale. “I am really proud of how the boys buckled down and we found a way to get it done. We know that we will have plenty of tough games this year, so this was nice to see.”
Troyer finished with a team-high 18 points as he scored in every quarter and overtime and Gavin Spitler poured in 13 for Waynedale. Trey Barkman and Raber both finished with 12 points in the win.
The Mustangs were led by Ty Pratt’s 26 points, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter as they outscored the Golden Bears 18-13 to force the extra session. Troy Harbeitner poured in 17 points and Nate Frascone finished with seven for Tuslaw.
“(Tuslaw) is a tough team,” said Held. “They have a lot of size and couple of kids knocking in shots. It was a battle.”
Chippewa 55, Cloverleaf 47
Caleb Gasser poured in 12 of his team-high 21 points in a pivotal second quarter that saw Chippewa take control against Cloverleaf. Gasser’s big effort keyed a 21-16 run as the Chipps carried a 29-21 lead into the break and never looked back.
“Gasser has elevated his game to another level,” said Chippewa coach D.J. Schrock. “He can score so many different ways.
“Our player of the game though was Christian [Moyer], who didn’t show up in the scoring column, but held [Cloverleaf's] 6-7 post to just 10 points and guarded him the entire game.”
Also playing big for the Chipps were Logan Toler with nine points while Garrett Hillyer drained a pair of late triples for six points and Brayden Braswell matched him with six.
Triway 56, St. Thomas Aquinas 53
Playing tough down the stretch, Triway did just enough to beat St. Thomas Aquinas in this back-and-forth nailbiter.
“In two games, we have dealt with a lot of adversity down the stretch,” said Titan coach Ben Holt. “But we continue to grow, even in just the two games, the growth is huge. We are a green team, we are really young, but I am proud of them.”
Triway hit eight 3s in the win and got some big free throws from Drew Bishko in the waning minutes. Bishko finished 3-of-4 inside the final two minutes to cap the win for Triway.
Zack Miller scored 13 of his team-high 22 points in the second half and finished by pulling down five rebounds. Bishko was a force with a 17-point, five-rebound and three-assist effort, and Cale Drown chipped in eight for the Titans win.
“Drew [Bishko] got going in the second half,” said Holt. “He hit some free throws, rebounded well and we need him to be a leader for us. Credit to Zack [Miller], who had another great game scoring for us and we got four guys off the bench to help. We are going to need everyone’s efforts, like tonight, every night for us this year.”
Rittman 55, Central Christian 49
Rittman used a 19-13 second quarter run to pull away from Central Christian and earn this road win.
Headlining the charge for the Indians was Bryce Holmes with a monster game as he finished with 34 points and grabbed six rebounds. Landon Simonton added 11 points and had three boards, and Brendan Berkihiser chipped in six points and snared five boards for Rittman.
The Comets were led by Thatcher Rohrer with 23 points and four rebounds, and Tyler Bonner, who added 12 points.
Norwayne 78, Lake Center Christian 41
Three different player reached double figures in scoring and two players had five or more assists as Norwayne outrebounded Lake Center Christian 40-16 in an absolute clinic.
Ethan Hann finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists in his Bobcat debut and Justin Rupp was equally as impressive. Rupp finished with 15 points, had six assists and pulled down seven rebounds in the win.
Also playing big for Norwayne was Isaiah Portis with 17 points and seven boards as Trey Bayless and Trevor Hess both added seven points. Nic Graham and Roman Portis both cleared five rebounds for the Bobcats on the glass.
Mount Gilead 63, Loudonville 41
Loudonville fell in Jim Bates' debut as head coach to Mt. Gilead, but came out swinging as it grabbed the early 20-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Zack Frankford led the Redbirds with 15 points, 11 of which came in the opening quarter and Isaac Gessner finished with 11 points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Rittman 53, Central Christian 12
Rittman rode a trio of big efforts to a win over Central Christian.
Setting the pace was Ella Robinson with 11 points, seven assists and nine steals. Emily Tyler poured in a team-high 14 points and dished three assists, and Emma Berkihiser matched Tyler with 14 points and pulled down six rebounds.
“It was a great team win,” said Indians coach Dylan Crawford. “The girls have worked so hard to get to this point. They have been motivated since the end of last year to improve and take steps in the right direction.
“I am very proud of the effort these girls gave tonight.”
Loudonville 70, Lucas 48
Going on the road, Loudonville more than took care of business against Mid-Buckeye Conference rival Lucas. Bolting to a 35-19 halftime lead, the Redbirds cruised to the win.
“It is always nice to beat Lucas,” said Loudonville coach Tyler Bates. “This is a big road win if we want to grab another league title.”
Leading the way for the ‘Birds was Vermilya with a 33-point outburst and Shalen Guilliams continued her robust start to the year with 19 points. Guiliams continues to dial it from downtown with five more from long range.
West Holmes 49, Mt. Vernon 39
Going on the road, West Holmes locked up an Ohio Cardinal Conference win over Mt. Vernon behind Kinsey Patterson. The senior drained six triples on her way to 25 points and finished with four steals in the win.
Also playing a key role was Melanie Fair with 7 points and 11 rebounds, and Claire Reynolds with seven points. Keegan Uhl played some huge minutes with six points and Allie McMillen finished with four steals and three assists for the Knights.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Prep Roundup: Waynedale picks up big nonleague win over Tuslaw
