SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
Lincolnview led wire-to-wire but at one point, the Lancers needed a spark and they found it in the third quarter.
After a free throw by Ottoville’s Ashton Miller trimmed Lincolnview’s lead to 37-32 with just under five minutes left in the third period, Lancer head coach Brett Hammons turned to his bench, which paid immediate dividends. Jackson Ingledue hit back-to-back triples, including a deep attempt from the right wing, Grant Zielke scored and Zander Coil turned an offensive rebound into a layup and just like that, Lincolnview’s lead ballooned 47-35. From there, Lincolnview cruised to a 72-48 victory, putting the Lancers at 5-1 on the season.
“We had some foul trouble and we brought Jackson in and he hit those two huge threes and Grant got a bucket for us and Zander made one and that’s why we have a bench,” Lincolnview head coach Brett Hammons said. “They’re there for us and they step up when we need them and I thought they executed tonight on both ends.”
“I thought we found a little bit of a rhythm offensively in the second quarter,” Ottoville head coach Keith Utendorf said. “Ash had to get us through a murky sort of start. It was 37-32 so we had a chance. What we’ve seen this year is we’ve kind of had a lull offensively and that unfortunately leaks into the defensive end. Our kids gave effort, we’re trying to find the right mix, so I think it’s going to take a while.”
“That’s a really good Lincolnview team,” he added. “They can really score with the basketball. They have a lot of guards, they have a lot of athletes out there.”
After the bench run, Max Hammons hit four foul shots, Chayse Overholt turned a steal into a layup and Hammons buried a triple at the buzzer to give the Lancers a commanding 56-39 lead. Hammons went on to finish with a team high 23 points.
“He’s kind of the leader of our team,” Hammons said of his oldest son. “He’s consistent, the ball’s in his hands a lot and he had a stretch struggling to score but he just finds a way. We’re probably not where we’re at without his playing ability and give credit to him – he puts in a lot of work.”
(more…)POSTED: 12/19/25 at 11:44 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
Xavier Kelly scored 10 points, including the game winner with a second left in overtime, and Van Wert snapped a two-game losing streak with an exciting 42-40 win over Bath (4-2, 1-1 WBL) at Bath High School Friday night. The Cougars led 12-11 after one quarter and 21-18 at halftime. The Wildcats rallied for a 29-27 lead after three quarters and the game was tied 40-40 at the end of regulation. Cohen Bragg led Van Wert with 11 points, while Bath’s Logan Markley led all scorers with 17 points. Van Wert (4-2, 2-0 WBL) will play Holland Springfield at Defiance High School today (5:45 p.m.). Photo courtesy of Monica Campbell
POSTED: 12/19/25 at 11:43 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
COLUMBUS GROVE — A slow start by Crestview proved to be costly, as the Knights fell to Columbus Grove 61-55 Friday night.
Crestview trailed 16-7 after the opening quarter and 35-21 at halftime. Owen Heckler and Will Sheets combined for nine points in the third quarter but the Knights trailed 46-36 at the end of the period. Heckler added two treys in the fourth quarter and Hayden Perrott and Sheets each accounted for five points in the period, but Columbus Grove (2-1, 1-0 WBL) hung on for the win. Sheets led all scorers with 16 points, Perrott added 15 and Heckler finished with 11 points.
Crestview (2-5, 0-2 NWC) will travel to Kalida tonight (4 p.m. junior varsity start).
POSTED: 12/19/25 at 11:43 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
Here are scores of area high school basketball games played on Friday, December 19.
GMC
Edgerton 50 Hicksville 49
Ayersville 71 Fairview 56
Paulding 75 Wayne Trace 70
Tinora 42 Antwerp 38
MAC
Delphos St. John’s 69 Coldwater 59
Fort Recovery 41 Parkway 28
Marion Local 46 New Knoxville 30
St. Henry 59 Minster 55
Versailles 54 New Bremen 36
NWC
Allen East 61 Delphos Jefferson 35
Columbus Grove 61 Crestview 55
Lima Central Catholic 66 Spencerville 57
WBL
Celina 62 St. Marys Memorial 54
Ottawa-Glandorf 71 Kenton 43
Shawnee 67 Elida 37
Van Wert 42 Bath 40 OT
Wapakoneta 37 Defiance 35 OT
Non-conference
Bluffton 55 Riverdale 32
Lincolnview 72 Ottoville 48
Miller City 56 Swanton 28
POSTED: 12/19/25 at 10:13 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
DELPHOS — Lincolnview bowlers enjoyed a clean sweep over Parkway at the Delphos Recreation Center on Thursday.
The Lancers defeated the Panthers 2666-2377, with Pacey Earley leading the charge with a 202-251-453 series. Aaron Garay recorded a 153-223-376 series, followed by Grayden Clay (163-183-346), Owen Dannenfelser (152-176-328) and Logan Block (139-158-297). Parkway was paced by Ian Trisel (145-225-370), followed by Chayse Rasbach (181-177-358), Dylan Bollenbacher (184-148-332), Camen Pierstorff (148-137-285), and Isaac Menchhoffer (133).
On the girls’ side, Lincolnview’s Gwen Goins rolled a 216-197-413 series and the Lancers topped the Panthers 2372-2085. Aubrey Ricker finished with a 165-184-349 series, followed by Hadley Goins (140-168-308), Abby Dannenfelser (123-174-297), Riley Brown (167) and Dancia Taylor (101). Jaymin Peel led Parkway with a 116-190-306 series, followed by Arwen Williams (145-123-268), Ash Muhlenkamp (175), Nicki Heitkamp (166), Faith Kiser (150), Sierra McDorman (114), and Elayna Moeller (97).
POSTED: 12/19/25 at 10:13 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports/submitted information
LIMA — Van Wert had no trouble with Bath, posting a big 69-12 WBL wrestling victory over the Wildcats on Thursday. The Cougars were led by senior Briggs Wallace who came away with a fall in 1:19 over his opponent.
Individual results are as follows:
- 106 – Alianna Estrada (VW) forfeit 6-0 VW
- 113 – Owen Bates (V) forfeit 2-0 VW
- 120 – Eli Jamison (B) fall 2:29 over Jillian Sempkowski (VW) 12-6 VW
- 126 – Heath Calvelage (VW) forfeit 18-6 VW
- 132 – Ryan Wallace (VW) fall 1:25 over Greyson Marstellar (B) 24-6 VW
- 138 – Roman Martin (VW) fall :40 over Bentley Matthewson (B) 30-6 VW
- 144 – Tristan Theibaut (VW) fall 1:40 over Jonathon Espinoza (B) 36-6 VW
- 150 – Carter Bledsoe (VW) fall 3:24 over Sonny Owczarzak (B) 42-6 VW
- 157 – Briggs Wallace (VW) fall 1:19 over Ethan Boulis 48-6 (B) VW
- 165 – Bentley Webb (B) fall 1:18 over Devon Burker (VW) 48-12 VW
- 175 – Phillip Burker (VW) 15-12 OT decision over Carson Music (B) 51-12 VW
- 190 – Auston Welker (VW) forfeit 57-12 VW
- 215 – Max Heuerman (VW) forfeit 63-12 VW
- 285 – Breese Bollenbacher (VW) forfeit 69-12 VW
The Cougars will return to action December 29-30 at the Defiance Tri-State Border Wars at Defiance High School.
POSTED: 12/18/25 at 9:35 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
Bath 41 Van Wert 24
Van Wert trailed 6-5 after the first quarter but Bath (7-1, 3-0 WBL) pulled away for a 41-24 win on Thursday night.
Jazz Florence led the Cougars with 10 points, all in the first half, and Amaya Dowdy added nine points. Bath’s Gwyn Foust led all scorers with 14 points, including seven in the third quarter.
Van Wert (0-7, 0-3 WBL) will travel to Delphos Jefferson on Monday.
Columbus Grove 48 Crestview 25
CONVOY — Columbus Grove put the clamps on defensively and led 33-15 at halftime before going on to a 48-25 win over Crestview Thursday night.
The Bulldogs (6-0, 3-0 NWC) led 19-7 after the first quarter, with Kendal Palte scoring six points and Brynn Calvelage adding five. Calvelage added a a pair of treys in the second quarter. On the night, Columbus Grove connected on eight triples. Zoe Ross and Kaci Gregory each scored six points for Crestview, with Ross’s coming on two first half treys. Four of Gregory’s points came from the foul line. Peyton Hoffman scored four points, all in the first quarter.
Crestview (4-3, 1-2 NWC) will travel to Kalida on Saturday (12 p.m. JV start).
Miller City 38 Lincolnview 28
MILLER CITY — Lincolnview won the scoring battle in the first two quarter but Miller City turned the tables in the second half and won a defensive-minded game, 38-28, on Thursday.
Behind three pointers by Keira Breese, Destiny Breese and Quinlyn Walker, the Lancers led 12-7 after the first quarter. Lincolnview hit just one basket in the second quarter – a trey by Keira Breese – but converted four foul shots and carried a 19-17 lead into halftime. Breese hit another triple in the third quarter to account for all of Lincolnview’s points in the period, while Miller City (9-0_) scored 10, including four by Sophia Ruck. Leading 27-22, the Wildcats outscored the visitors 11-6 in the final period, with Kayla Erford scoring six of those points. Ruck, Erford and Elizabeth Erford each scored eight points for Miller City, while Keira Breese led all scorers with 15 points.
Lincolnview (3-5) will travel to New Bremen on Monday, December 29.
POSTED: 12/18/25 at 9:35 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
Submitted information
COLUMBUS — The Ohio High School Athletic Association has announced the schedule and host sites for the upcoming girls and boys basketball state tournaments in March. The University of Dayton Arena will continue to serve as the epicenter of both state tournaments, while Wright State University with host some girls and boys state semifinal games and Vandalia Butler High School will also host some girls state semifinals.
The girls state tournament will be a three-day event, while the boys will span four days.
Last season, the OHSAA expanded the basketball postseason tournament from four divisions to seven, and the state semifinals were played at sites around Ohio. The winners advanced to UD Arena, which only hosted the seven state championship games. This season, all 21 state tournament games for both the girls and boys state tournaments will come to the Dayton area for their Final Four weekends.
“When we expanded to seven divisions, we looked at several models for how to conduct the state tournament,” said Doug Ute, OHSAA Executive Director. “Last year, we used the football model that had the state semifinals on their own weekend around the state. We certainly had some great environments and less travel for the teams, but the feedback from the coaches was that they preferred larger venues and the opportunity to have a weekend at the state tournament, so we have worked hard to set that up with additional sites, just like we do in baseball and girls volleyball.”
The seating capacity for UD Arena is 13,400, while the Nutter Center at Wright State University is 10,000 and Vandalia Butler High School is 4,500.
“The Dayton area is such a great host for the basketball state tournaments,” said Ute. “UD Arena creates an amazing environment for the teams and fans. The Nutter Center at Wright State University has been a great host through the years for several of our sports, as has Butler High School, which has an outstanding gymnasium. We are thankful for their partnership and willingness to host these big games.”
(more…)POSTED: 12/18/25 at 10:43 am. FILED UNDER: Sports
Five Lincolnview student-athletes recently signed letters of intent to continue their studies and compete in various sports at the collegiate level. The five, in order, from top to bottom: Noah Peters, Wittenberg University (track); Lainey Spear, UNOH (softball); Abigal Dannenfelser, Trine University (bowling); Keira Breese, Eastern Michigan University (rowing), and Jakeb Frysinger, Defiance College (soccer). Photos submitted
POSTED: 12/17/25 at 9:43 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
Boys
Delphos St. John’s 79 Van Wert 45
DELPHOS — An incredible shooting display translated into a big Delphos St. John’s win Tuesday night.
The Blue Jays (4-0) shot 80 percent from the floor in the first half and finished the game convering 70 percent of all field goal attempts to roll by Van Wert 79-45 on Tuesday.
Cameron Elwer scored 21 points in the first quarter alone and Delphos St. John’s raced out to a 31-11 lead. Elwer, who didn’t miss a shot attempt in the first half, added 11 more points in the second quarter and the Blue Jays enjoyed a 56-27 lead. Elwer played very sparingly in the second half and much of the third and fourth quarters were played with a continuous clock.
Griffin McCracken and Keaten Welch each scored 10 points for Van Wert and Xavier Kelly added nine points. Caden Collins contributed eight points off the bench for the Cougars, who lost their second straight game.
Both teams will return to action Friday night, with Van Wert traveling to Bath and Delphos St. John’s playing at Coldwater.
Crestview 52 Fort Jennings 44
FORT JENNINGS — Hayden Perrott scored 15 points and Crestview snapped a two-game losing streak with a 52-44 road win over Fort Jennings on Tuesday.
Perrott scored five points in the first quarter and the Knights led 10-5 entering the second quarter. Owen Heckler scored on a pair of free throws and a trey in the second quarter and Hudson Perrott added a triple to help Crestview carry a 21-15 lead into halftime. Hudson and Hayden Perrott combined for nine points in the third quarter and the Knights led 33-24 entering the final stanza. In the fourth quarter, Liam Putman scored seven of his 12 points. Hudson Perrott finished with 10 points.
Adler Pothast led Fort Jennings with 12 points, including six in the second quarter and six more in the fourth. Hudson Maag hit three treys and finished with 12 points.
Crestview (2-4) will travel to Columbus Grove on Friday, while Fort Jennings (2-3) will play Lincolnview on Saturday.
Girls
Wayne Trace 58 Van Wert 41
Wayne Trace’s Lexi Moore led all scorers with 18 points and the Raiders defeated Van Wert 58-41 on Tuesday.
Wayne Trace led 13-6 after the first quarter then pulled away in the second period for a 33-16 halftime lead, with Amber Stoller scoring nine of her 13 points in the second quarter. The lead was stretched to 48-26 after three quarters. The Raiders had two other players in double figures – Caroline Winans with 11 points and Careen Winans with 10.
Jazz Florence led Van Wert with 14 points, including 11 in the second half, and Amaya Dowdy finished with 10 points.
Wayne Trace (5-1) will travel to Paulding Thursday night, while Van Wert (0-6) will host Bath the same night.
Wayne Trace 42 Lincolnview 29 (Monday)
HAVILAND — Lincolnview kept pace for three quarters, but Wayne Trace used a 14-2 fourth quarter scoring advantage to defeat the Lancers 42-29 Monday night.
11 of Wayne Trace’s fourth quarter points came from the foul line. Lincolnview led 8-4 after the first quarter, which include three points from Destiny Breese and Quinlyn Walker, but the Raiders rallied for a 17-15 halftime lead. Wayne Trace led 28-27 entering the fourth quarter.
Caroline Winans led the Raiders with 14 points, Careen Winans had 12 points and Lexi Moore and Amber Stoller each chipped in with eight points. Destiny Breese led Lincolnview with nine points and Keira Breese added seven.
POSTED: 12/16/25 at 11:05 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
