Kolton DeGroff of Wauseon scores inside in the second half of Saturday night’s non-league contest with Bowling Green. The Indians would hold on for a 36-34 win over the Bobcats.
Max Householder | AIM Media Midwest
Matthew Shaw with a bucket for Wauseon Saturday night against Bowling Green.
Max Householder | AIM Media Midwest
Jonas Tester of Wauseon brings the ball up during Saturday’s game. He finished with 12 points to lead the Indians in scoring.
Max Householder | AIM Media Midwest
Down top player Connar Penrod who is nursing a foot injury, Wauseon was able to grind out a 36-34 win over Bowling Green Saturday in a non-league boys basketball contest.
The Indians seemed to be running away with the game when Tyson Britsch’s putback basket gave them a 28-22 lead at the 6:23 mark of the fourth quarter. However, then the Bobcats made a charge.
Bowling Green started its comeback with a hoop inside with 6:03 to play, Ryan Jackson followed with a drive and score a minute later, and a steal leading to Eli Brown’s corner 3-pointer put them on top 29-28.
The Indians, however, reclaimed the lead thanks to Britsch’s dish inside to Jonas Tester who scored at the 4:05 mark. They would hold that lead for nearly two minutes before Ty Sayen hit a jump shot which made it 31-30 in favor of BG.
Wauseon answered as Tester attacked the basket and then tacked on a free throw; however, with 1:33 remaining Jackson knocked down a triple for a 34-33 Bobcat advantage.
The home Indians took up the next 59 seconds, leading to a Noah Sauber bucket off an inside move to give his team the lead for good. Wauseon’s Kolton DeGroff closed out the scoring by going 1 of 2 from the foul line.
The Bobcats did get one final possession but a Jackson triple attempt went off the front of the iron to end it.
The first half was a back and forth affair that saw Bowling Green take over the lead in the final three minutes. A Brown three plus two free throws by Sayen made the halftime margin 16-12.
Wauseon held the advantage in the third quarter, outscoring the Bobcats 12-5.
Tester scored 7 of the Indians’ 12 points. He opened the period with a three to pull them within one.
Kaleb Gerken then split a pair from the foul line for BG, but Sauber’s 3-point play gave Wauseon its first lead of the second half, 18-17, at the 5:54 mark of the third. DeGroff extended it to 20-17 with a basket underneath with 4:40 left.
Tester tacked on a jumper for the Indians, then Jackson hit a 3-pointer out of a timeout for BG. A pair of Tester free throws and 1 of 2 from the line from Brown closed the third with Wauseon on top 24-21.
Tester paced the Indians with 12 points. DeGroff and Sauber tacked on seven apiece.
Jackson had 11 points for BG (2-5), while Brown added eight.
Wauseon (7-1) will open Northwest Ohio Athletic League play this Thursday when they welcome Bryan (2-6). It is expected that Penrod will return for that contest.
Reach Max Householder at 419-335-2010
