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Tri-Village coach Brad Gray and Lady Patriots Team wear t-shirts to display his 400th career victory.  (All Feature photos by Dale Barger)

NEW MADISON - Congratulations to Tri-Village coach Brad Gray for achieving his 400^th career victory in a WOAC win over National Trail.  He becomes the 48^th coach to reach 400 wins in OHSAA girls basketball history.

The Lady Patriots offense was firing away in the opening quarter as they raced out to a huge 24-0 lead and 35-5 at the half.

Coach Gray’s 400^th win appeared to be a foregone conclusion heading into the 2^nd half as the Patriots finished the game with a running clock for a 52-14 win over the Blazers.

Gray now in his 19^th year as the girls’ varsity head coach has averaged just over 20 wins a year … an incredible standard for that length of time.

Coach Gray took a moment after the game to reflect on the 400 milestone.

“This is a team accomplishment, every time you kind of reach milestones like this, whether it was 200, 300, 400 you reflect on everybody that's had an impact. From all the really good players we've had and there's been a ton of them, you know.  All the kids that buy into being the role players who are committed to what we do, to the families that allow us to coach these kids really hard,” Gray stated.

Coach Gray continued.

“Looking further back, my upbringing and the people who impacted me as a kid growing up, all those things come flooding back and the appreciation for the coaches who mentored me. You know, it starts with guys like you probably heard me talk about Bug Thompson back in Wellsville, who was, without question, the biggest coaching impact on me as a kid, growing up,” Gray reflected.

“Then being fortunate enough when I came to Tri-Village, having Bill Moore here and share a room at the TV boot camp and have “Papa Fro” (Matt Renfro) and Lee Falknor take me under their wing, those are a good memory,” Gray stated.

“It’s with great appreciation for the guys who took a young kid right out of college and let me be a part of their staff and made me feel like my input mattered. I think sometimes that's hard for veteran coaches to allow a young guy to come in and actually speak his mind and try to grow and really appreciative for those guys. And then, of course, now the relationship between Josh (Sagester) and I, where it's just two guys who are very like-minded when it comes to our vision for our programs. And him being the superintendent and me being the Athletic Director, we can bounce things off each other and both of our programs have benefited from that relationship,” Gray explained.

“So, yeah, all those things just come flooding in when you're approaching stuff like this. But it's not me. I mean, it's the kids, they have won every game, I've not won a single game here. I’ve just been very lucky to be in the right place at the right time.  I'm the guy that kind of gets to be the figurehead … but, man, there's a lot of people that have had huge hands on what's going on, including all my assistants through the years,” Gray added.

“Like Mike Fisherback and my current staff, Scott Howell and Doug Mize.  Greg Ely, when I first started, helped us, I mean, we've had a lot of people Christy Sarver,  Mackenzie Taylor, Laden DeLawder, I can just go on with all the people who've been a part of our staff. They have all been huge help to me in this program as a whole,” Gray praised.

Coach Gray leads the break out of the timeout huddle.  

In coach Gray’s 19 years at the helm, he has had just one losing season, 10-11 the first year and he was asked if he could have foreseen 400 wins at that time.

“Honestly, it's hard doing this. It's even harder doing it at one place. For as long as I've been fortunate enough to do it, a lot of places won't commit to a coach for as long as Tri-Village is committed to myself, and again to Coach Josh Sagester. I mean, we've had two coaches that have been here for a really long time, and I think that speaks volumes about the commitment of our administration and our Board of Education, for allowing coaches to come in here and have a vision.  Even if it's not successful right from the start, as an AD, I try to give our coaches time, you can't just keep having a constant turnaround of coaches. I think when schools do that, their programs suffer because of it. And we've been really fortunate to have a ton of support here. So, to answer your question, that was a long answer, but no, if you would have told me back then that I'd still be the head girls coach here,” Gray described.

“I’ve been fortunate and maybe had a little luck going back to when we kind of started making some of our first runs I remember coach Richard Klein and Neil Hans, I ran into them I think maybe the second year that we went to the regional finals. And they said, you know, because I was young, we hope you're enjoying this, because we've coached for years, and we've never got to experience like what you've experienced. And hearing that from older coaches made me realize like, you better soak it in a little bit and not just expect it's going to keep happening,” Gray admired.

But for coach Gray in his 19 years has got to experience success with many teams more often than not allowing him to join 47 other coaches who have achieved 400 wins in girls’ basketball.

That’s a lot of wins and coach Gray can tell about some of the most painful losses ... but struggle a little bit more trying to identify the most memorable wins.

He immediately reflected on one of his most painful losses to Miami East back in the early years and at the time the Vikings were a perennial power winning league titles every year.

The Patriots were knocking at the door with a shot at winning a league title but got rocked by the Vikings prompting Gray to write on the board that they would never get beat like that again.

“Yes, I was young and maybe didn’t even know what to say at the time, but that loss was painful, we came in with an opportunity to topple the king pin and fell hard … it was the kind of game we can point to now that turned things around for us and became the motivation we needed to get over the hump,” Gray exclaimed.

And it would be the very next season that Tri-Village would take down Miami East to win a league title and catapulted Gray and the Lady Patriots program to another level and put them on a path to future success.

“I really believe that win against Miami East is the win that got our kids and our program believing we could compete at an elite level,” Gray said.

And it’s no surprise that it also would become one of his top 5 most memorable wins.

1. State Championship game vs Toledo Christian in 2023
2. Regional Final vs Fort Loramie in 2012
3. Regional Final vs Fort Loramie in 2023
4. State Semi-final vs Hiland in 2023
5. Miami East in 2010

Congratulations to coach Brad Gray and the Lady Patriots Basketball Program.  I’m sure in the years to come we might have to ask coach Gray to extend his list of most memorable wins.


400 wins and counting for Lady Patriots coach Brad Gray.  
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Taylee Woodbury surrounded by her family, team and coaches receives recognition after breaking the school scoring record.  (All feature photos by Dale Barger)

UNION CITY – Taylee Woodbury became Mississinawa Valley girls’ basketball all-time leading scorer in the Blackhawks 70-39 win over Twin Valley South Thursday night. 

Woodbury was eager to go right from the tip, ready to put the previous game against Arcanum in the rear-view mirror where she would agree she didn’t play her best in the loss to Trojans.

It would create a four-way tie at the top of the WOAC to include Arcanum, Tri-Village, Mississinawa and Twin Valley South making the match-up tonight a big game for both teams.

Woodbury didn’t take long to get her team on the board firing in a long-range triple to start to go up 3-0 just seconds into the contest and you knew it was going to be a special night.

She would repeat that 3 more times in the first quarter to help the Hawks to a 15-2 first quarter lead.

Then just as Woodbury did to start the game she connected on her 5^th straight triple to start the 2^nd quarter. 

Taylee "Would Bury" her 5th straight three-ball from the corner to become the all-time scoring leader at Mississinawa Valley.

It would also be a record breaking shot as she eclipsed the school’s all-time scoring record of 1,282 points.  Taylee ended the game with 20 points overall and now sits at 1,288 with plenty of games ahead to continue adding to her totals record.

After a brief stoppage in play and hugs with her teammates she was presented the game ball and a banner at half court with her coach, mom and dad while receiving recognition for the accomplishment.

Play resumed shortly after, and the Hawks continued to roll scoring 23 points in the second quarter. 

Jordyn Ritchie scored 12 points for the TV South.  They fell one game behind the league leaders in the standings with the loss to the Blackhawks.

Twin Valley South offense would find a little spark as well by attacking the basket and getting to the charity stripe.  They would made 7-of-8 free throws and couple treys from Kelsey Maggard and Jordan Ritchie  for 17 points … but the Hawks led 38-17 at the half.

The third quarter output resembled that of the 2^nd quarter with the Hawks winning 23-16.

Mississinawa got a spark from junior forward Brooklynn Seubert on 10 points in the paint to lead the way.  Maci Arndts led the Panthers with 6 points in the quarter.

Brooklynn Seubert dominated in the paint in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and ended with a double-double including 20 points.

The final quarter aided by a running clock tick away too quickly for South who won the frame 9-6 but really unable to make up much ground with Mississinawa winning the game 70-39.

The win keeps the Hawks in a tie at top of league with Arcanum & Tri-Village, while Twin Valley South falls a game behind.

For Mississinawa Valley Coach Michael Paige he was happy to see his team get back on track offensively and earn the conference win.

“I think the game obviously went really well for us, Twin Valley South is a very aggressive team, we wanted to match that while also pushing the ball.  It was a also big day for Taylee, so we wanted to make sure she was able to accomplish getting the record at home with our next two games being on the road. That was our focus in the first half and in the second half we just wanted to control the tempo and play under control. I think we managed to do that some but did get out of control a few times. So, we still have got things to work on, but overall it was a good game for us and big night for Taylee,” Page explained.

Mississinawa Valley was led in scoring by both Taylee Woodbury and Brooklynn Seubert both with 20 points. 

Twin Valley South was led by Jordan Ritchie with 12 points, Brylii Day who leads the league in rebounding had 10 boards.


The Panthers Brylii Day leads the league in rebouding, she pulled down 8 boards in the game.

The Panthers fall to 7-5 overall, 4-2 in the league and they will host Newton on Saturday.

The Blackhawks improve to 12-2 and 7-1 in WOAC and will travel to Ansonia on Saturday January 18 for the Rt 47 shootout and then take on Marion Local in a show at Versailles on Monday January 20^th.

The night however belonged to Taylee Woodbury as the senior point guard achieved the triple crown in basketball becoming the all-time assists, steals and now scoring record holder at Mississinawa Valley.

I had a chance to catch up with Taylee’s dad (Derrick Woodbury) after the game and it was a surreal and reflective moment for the proud dad.

“Honestly, it's just great to see your own kid who works hard and puts a lot of time and dedication in the gym earn these accomplishments the way she's been getting them, she really deserves it,” dad would say.

“When she first started playing basketball as a freshman she told me she was going to  beat my assist record for a game, and she's gotten it all right and set the school record for the most career assists as well.  She has always had a high set of standards, and she'd like to break more of them if she could … even her own records she has now. You never know what else she's going to do, she may break another record next week, who knows? She's probably chasing the free throw record for a career too,” Derrick added.

When talking to Taylee about her three career records she is most proud of the assist record.

“I’m most proud of the assist record, that’s my job, I’m the point guard and it’s the main thing I do, distribute the ball,” Taylee said.

But on this night it was a celebration for the scoring record and even though Taylee wasn’t feeling well, she was ready and went out and knocked down her first five consecutive triples to jump out to a big lead over South in the process of achieving the new scoring mark, while also getting redemption from the previous game.

“I'm wasn’t feeling the best coming in tonight, but we knew we had to throw that last game out of our heads, it was a tough one and probably shouldn’t have happened, but we made mistakes, life happens, and we all knew we had to come out strong in this game to get a big win,” Taylee stated.

When Taylee’s 5^th long range dart pierced the record books, play stopped as her coaches and teammates embraced her with her family and supporters on hand to witness the moment causing a stream of emotions to overcome her.

Lots of emotions were on display as Taylee Woodbury is embraced be her teammates.

“Like I was crying, it feels really great. Honestly, I couldn’t have done it without my people, coaches and team.  None of this could have been done without my teammates and to be able to share this moment with them means everything,” Taylee said.

When I asked Taylee about her family she choked up, fighting back tears and eventually just letting them roll down her cheek.

“The support I’ve gotten from my grandpa/grandma, dad/mom has really helped me to achieve the things I have,” Woodbury commented.

“My grandpa has helped me a lot through basketball he’s always asking me to go to the gym, every time I have a bad game or something, or don't hit my shots. He's always like, you want to go to the gym on Sundays, like any day, even after we have practice, he'll meet me out here and we shoot after practice. He's just always there for me,” Taylee commended.

It wasn’t always easy for Taylee who came down with a serious knee injury her sophomore year in the post season and a long recovery process to get back to playing.

“I want to thank Tony Cox my physical therapist for everything that he has done for me and being able to get me back on the floor and do everything that I can do. I couldn’t have done it without him either,” Woodbury added.

Taylee Woodbury is the schools assist record holder gets a wrap around pass through to her sister on the block for a score.

The Woodbury’s are a basketball family with Derrick being a standout player himself and a member of the Mississinawa Valley Athletic Hall of Fame.  He also coach’s 7^th grade girls’ basketball along with his daughter Tienna on the team.  Freshman daughter Tenlee would get the start tonight alongside her sister and at one point in the game Taylee gave her a wraparound pass for an assist.

In some good-natured ribbing with Derrick about who’s the best in the house I think I overheard a challenge of a one-on-one game with Taylee.  But he quickly acknowledged that Taylee holds all the records now.


The Woodbury's are a competitive  basketball family as Derrick Woodbury takes some good natured ribbing from his 3 daughters Tenlee, Tienna and Taylee.  Taylee has bragging rights now in the house with career records in scoring, steals and assists.

When I told Taylee I heard there might be a one-on-one game, she chuckled.

“Okay, that’s funny, he’s someone I’ve always looked up to, he’s a huge basketball fan, and he was good in his day. I mean, he probably had better handles than me, I will say he could dribble the ball, that's for sure.  But yeah, being able to beat his accomplishments really means a lot to me and he loves it more than anyone, he wants me to beat everything and with that kind of support I can’t lose,” Taylee concluded.

Taylee will graduate this year … but the impact Woodbury’s have on Mississinawa basketball is far from over as Grandpa/Grandma (Gary & Maureen), Dad/Mom (Derrick & Kristen) and the community will get to be fans much longer as Tenlee and Tienna come through the system.


There nothing better than a mother's hug as Taylee embraces her mom Kristen.
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Arcanum had plenty to get excited about as the Trojans pulled off the upset of previously unbeaten Mississinawa Valley.  (All feature photos by Dale Barger)

ARCANUM – The Lady Trojans basketball team turned in an impressive performance handing Mississinawa Valley their first WOAC League loss 51-46 to keep their hopes of winning a league title intact.

The win creates a log jam with four WOAC teams: Arcanum (4-1), Mississinawa Valley (6-1), Tri-Village (5-1) and Twin Valley South (4-1) all tied with just one loss in league play.

Arcanum would stun Mississinawa Valley getting off to a fast start with a 14-6, first quarter lead and 28-13 at the half.

The Lady Blackhawks generate a lot of offense from their defense and will give a steady dose of pressure all game long with their 2-2-1 full court press and a switching zone and aggressive man defense in the half court.

When Arcanum was able to break the pressure and get the ball up the floor they looked to get quick scoring opportunities and was successful a number of times before settling into a half court set.

In the first half senior Alexis Gibbons scored 11 points and sophomore Josie Schwartz 9 for the bulk of the Trojans offense. 

The Hawks scored first in the game on a lay-up from junior guard Paige Emrick, but Arcanum answered with a lay-up as well from Caroline Long to tie and then took a 7-2 lead at 3:22 after a short jump shot followed by a triple from Schwartz.

Sophomore Josie Schwartz injected offense into the Trojans game with 9 first half points.

The Hawks sophomore forward Gretchen Rodeheffer connected on an 8’ shot in the lane to draw to 7-4, followed by an Emrick drive to the rim to make it 7-6 by 2:43.

The Trojans struck back on a trey from Brooke Anderson followed by two free throws from Alexis Gibbons and a bucket at the first quarter buzzer for a 14-6 lead.

Mississinawa struggled offensively shooting just 23% in the first quarter and it didn’t get any better in the second quarter at 20%.

Junior Paige Emrick scored 9 in the first half as the Hawks struggled scoring the ball.

The Hawks offense generally starts with Taylee Woodbury and Arcanum’s strategy was to put as much pressure on her as they could making her work hard.  Woodbury didn’t score until 2:13 of the 2^nd quarter on a free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt.

Arcanum coach Abbey Moore credited the defensive pressure from her two guards for not allowing the Hawks to get into an offensive flow.

“We gave Josie (Schwartz) and Claire (Hein) the task of slowing down Taylee and they did their job and did it well. We mixed up what we were doing on them, trying to keep them guessing. They did a great job staying aggressive on her the whole game. And that's the key to their team. I mean, they're a great ball team, but, you know, when Taylee goes, they go, so I knew that was going to be a big part of our game plan,” Moore explained.

The Hawks scored just 7 points in the 2^nd quarter with five of them from Emerick and she would have 9 of the 13 Mississinawa points at the half.

Arcanum got 7 points from Gibbons, 4 from Schwartz and 3 from Long in the 2^nd quarter and led at the break 28-13.

One good half of basketball against a good team isn’t enough to win games and Arcanum was looking to put together a complete game after falling to Tri-Village a week ago, after having a big lead at the half to see it slip away in the 4^th quarter.

Mississinawa Valley has a lot of offensive weapons and combined with their pressure they can put a lot of points up in hurry which they would do in the third quarter.

Caroline Long scored 6 of 8 Trojan points in 3rd quarter and had 17 points in the game.

Arcanum started the second half with a fielder by Carline Long for their largest lead of the game 30-13 … but Taylee Woodbury got free in the corner and knock down a three-ball, her first points in the game from the field. 

A minute later senior Syenna Purdin connected from the same corner and Paige Emrick from the opposite side as the Hawks narrowed the gap to 33-22 midway through the quarter, and when Woodbury scored on a drive to the rim the lead was under single digits.

Senior Syenna Purdin had 9 points including two triples in the 3rd quarter.

Mississinawa slowed down Arcanum with their press that kept Gibbons and Schwartz quiet with neither scoring in the 3^rd quarter. 

Purdin added another trey and free throw for Mississinawa and Arcanum needed a basket. 

They got if from Caroline Long by attacking the rim, she scored 6 points in the 3^rd quarter for the Trojans.

Trailing 36-28 Gretchen Rodeheffer responded with a bucket and the harm for a 3-point play to close out the 3^rd trailing 36-31 as the Hawks were determined to make it a game.

Sophomore Gretchen Rodeheffer scores in the paint, her presence in the lane on defense and rebounding were big for the Hawks.

Long continued her scoring in the fourth quarter with a lay-up to start and moments later Gibbons got her first score of the second half.   Sandwiched between those two scores was a bucket from the Hawks Brooklynn Seubert to make the score 40-33 at the 5-minute mark.

With the score 44-35, Mississinawa got a triple from Woodbury closing to 44-38 … but it was Gibbons getting up the floor and finishing a left-handed lay-up then a right-handed lay-up on two straight trips extending the lead back out to 48-38. 

Big time games bring out a lot of emotions for competitive coaches, players and teams.  Coach Abbey Moore was in tune with the moment letting those emotions show. 

The little spurt visibly evoked emotions from coach Abbey Moore and the bench … but with 2:38 left to go and a dangerous Blackhawks team, the Trojans weren’t out of the woods yet.

Seubert, who was held scoreless before the 4^th quarter, finished with 7 points including an old-fashion 3-point play, then back-to-back lay-ups from Woodbury would cut the margin to 48-45 with just under a minute to go.

Arcanum then missed free throws on two straight trips and gave the Hawks an opportunity to tie.   

Taylee Woodbury had a good look from deep to try and tie the game late.  She ended the game with 12 points.

Woodbury got a good look from the top of the key, but it bounded off the back of the iron and Arcanum got the rebound and drew a foul.  Matty Noe converted both tosses for the Trojans, who were just 5-for-13 in the 4^th quarter, to go back up 50-45.

Rodeheffer made a free throw with 28 seconds bringing the score to 50-46 … but Arcanum added a free throw after an intentional foul was called sending Gibbons to the line and then the Trojans ran out the clock to claim a 51-46 WOAC win.

Mississinawa Valley was led in scoring by Page Emerick and Taylee Woodbury with 12 points each and Syenna Purdin had 9.

The Blackhawks fell from the ranks of undefeated on Monday in a 44-42-loss to Botkins and then suffered their first league loss to Arcanum is now 11-2 overall, 6-1 in the league. 

They will look to get back on track Thursday when Twin Valley South comes to town in a match-up of two one loss teams in the WOAC.

Emotions run high in games of this magnitude and although coach Michael Paige acknowledged his team didn’t play well, he felt the referee’s impact on the game caused frustration and affected his teams moral and execution.

Coach Michael Paige addresses his team during the game.  Despite the frustration and loss to Arcanum, he said all their team goals are still attainable.  

“I think part of the reason our offense wasn’t clicking is because of the frustration. I mean, when you take a teenage girl, and you tell her to stay focused when she feels like it's unfair, it's hard for her to keep her mind on execution and running the plays,” Paige stated

“I don't argue our calls, not one time with the referees do I argue our calls. My arguments are usually, why aren't we getting the same call? Hey, if this is a foul here, it should be a foul down there, and when it's not the same call on both ends that's where it's frustrating,” Paige exclaimed.

In losses to Botkins and Arcanum the Hawks were whistled for twice as many fouls and saw several players foul out of each game.

“I give Arcanum the credit. They played hard and I like a lot of the girls on their team. Abby's a good coach and I don't have anything bad to say about them … but the officiating was terrible, absolutely terrible,” Paige said.

Despite the two recent losses Paige acknowledged all their team goals are still intact.

“We control what we do, if we win out in WOAC play it will probably end up being a split conference title.  And our goal of reaching state is still there, those have always been our goals,” Paige concluded.

Those same emotions ran high for Arcanum who finally got over the hump of winning a big game giving them a huge confidence boost.   

Arcanum coach Abbey Moore gives credit to her kids for the win.

“Heart and Soul. That's what that was, these girls, man, they deserve it. They put the time in. They work hard every day. And I told them before the game, I think my exact words were, you know, I’d take a bullet for any one of you, and I'm going to ask you to go run through some brick walls for me. And every single one of them did, so I'll forever remember this one. And I these kids. I just I love them, and good things are going to happen this year, definitely,” said an elated Moore after the game.

Moore praised all her kids but wanted to mention her two seniors Alexis Gibbons and Brooke Anderson and their contributions.

“I'll tell you, it starts with these two next to me, my two seniors. this one's special, they wanted it,” Moore declared.

Alexis Gibbons finishes a left-handed lay-up & led all scorers in the game with 18 points.

“Take Brooke for example, fighting back and playing that game with a torn ACL. So let that one sink in,” Moore stated.

“Lex has been playing her butt off all year to try to compensate, the heart that these two have shown and how they treat each other takes our team to another level,” Moore added.

Lexy talked about her performance after the game.

“I think how I perform impacts the team a lot, what I bring, like, energy wise, because I got to get everybody up. If I'm down, then everybody else is down,” Alexis said.

But it’s her relationship with her senior teammate Brooke Anderson that motivates her the most.

“My biggest motivation is playing for Brooke, because we played together since second grade, and her going out in our first game, I think, put like a chip on my shoulder for the rest of the year and to get this win together is special,” Lexy expressed.

“Seeing Mississinawa blowing out teams by 20, 30 and 40 points and for all of us doing this together to get this win means a lot and I’m excited for the rest our journey this season,” Gibbons added.

Brooke Anderson was thankful for the opportunity to be back out on the court with her senior teammate as well.

Senior Brooke Anderson was an inspiration to her team playing with a torn ACL. She connected on this triple in the game.

“It felt good to get back out there and to get this win was huge for us mentally and for the rest of season and everything that’s to come.  Basically, we need to  keep playing the way we did today,” Anderson concluded.

It was a complete game for the Trojans  who was led by Lexy Gibbons with 18 points and Caroline Long with 17.  They improved to 6-4 overall and 4-1 in the WOAC and will be back in action Tuesday hosting Dixie in another WOAC contest.

Coach Abbey Moore &her Lady Trojans control their destiny after beating Mississinawa Valley.  Win out & they could attain their first ever WOAC Girls basketball title.
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Landon Flatter down the stretch was key for Arcanum in win over Mississinawa Valley.  (All Feature Photos by Dale Barger)

UNION CITY – The Arcanum boys basketball team hit back-to-back treys in the 3^rd quarter to shake off a run by Mississinawa and then went on to claim a 51-41 WOAC road win over the Blackhawks.

Offense was at a premium in the first half as the home team took an early 5-0 lead on a triple from Caden Hanes and drive for two from Cing Scott.

Defensively the Hawks were playing man-to-man and Arcanum showed patience early on running their offense through several times but came away empty until the 4:43 mark on a floater from Bishop Cartwright.

The Trojans scored again at 2:40 on a good feed to the block from Charlie Weiss to Cameron Ball.  Arcanum then stole the ball on the inbounds and took the lead on an and one from Cole Kessler 7-5 and extended it to 10-5 on a triple by Weiss at the two-minute mark.

Charlie Weiss throws bounce pass into the post for an assist in the game.

Mississinawa closed the game to 10-9  with fielders from Carson Hamilton and Ashton Amspaugh … but the Trojans added one more score from Bishop Cartwright for a 12-9 1^st quarter advantage.

The pace of play was even slower in the 2^nd quarter as Mississinawa Scott connected on a mid-range shot followed by a baseline jumper from Hanes tied the game with just under 4 minutes to go in the 2^nd quarter.

Cing Scott generated most of the offense for the Hawks in the 1st half.

Arcanum made a small run to extend the lead to 19-13 and 22-16 at the break.

Arcanum coach Kevin Brackman gave credit to Mississinawa Valley and their defense for not allowing a good flow to get established in the first half.

"We discussed the lack of flow at half time,  McCann's and Flatter weren’t really scoring to . start and I think that was in part to Miss Valley who is extremely well coached.  Every time we would try to execute something, their kids knew what we were doing and kind of got us out of rhythm,” Brackman explained.

Mississinawa Valley coach Jeff Vaughn was concerned coming in about defending against the Trojans action and was pleased with his team’s effort in the 1^st half.

I was concerned coming into this, because they have a lot of action with back screens and ball screens … but  I thought our kids did a nice job, and I thought they would take a lot of time off the clock, I mean, first quarter they didn't score for the first probably four minutes,” Vaughn stated.

So, with the game tied at 13 in the 2^nd quarter Arcanum coach Brackman threw in a defensive wrinkle by going to a half-court trap that helped them regain the lead at the break.

“When they're kind of controlling the flow on one end then we have to change things to try and control the flow on both ends and counteract that by letting our defense create offense and we were able to kind of throw that trap out to get some stops, which led to a little momentum. And in a game like this, two or three stops can make a big  difference,” Brackman said.


Ashton Amspaugh scores inside off an offensive rebound. 

The Blackhawks weren’t going away and battled in the 3^rd quarter scoring 12 points garden variety from Hanes, Jaxin Beanblossom, Ashton Amspaugh, Scott and Connor Hardy deadlocking with the Trojans who also scored 12 points in the period.

Arcanum found success pounding the ball into the paint with Cameron Ball scoring 8 of the 12 Trojans points and 34-28 lead going into the final frame.

Cameron Ball did work in the 3rd quarter scoring 8 points to get the Trojans going.

“We were able to get camera ball going in the 3^rd quarter and anytime that he's going downhill and able to get touches around the rim, it’s always a good thing for us,” Brackman highlighted.

But the Blackhawks were hanging around and would make things interested to start the 4^th with a Scott 18’ footer and a triple from sophomore Jaxin Beanblossom they had pulled to within a point 34-33.

Landon Flatter along with Matthew McCans threw consecutive daggers early in 4th quarter to take control of the game.

Up to this point in the game Mississinawa had given up just one three-pointer but it would be back-to-back triples from Landon Flatter and Matthew McCans halting MV’s run to surge back in front 40-33 at the 6:30 mark.

“I thought our kids played hard and we did a lot of good things but that was a big turning point in the game when they hit back-to-back threes in each corner and now up seven to give them a little cushion,” Vaughn would say after the game.

Now with a three-possession lead Arcanum would turn to their senior leader Landon Flatter who would step up down the stretch.  He scored 10 of his 16 points in the final frame as Brackman looked to put him in a position to close it out.

“To be able to have him in our back pocket, and for him to play so many minutes and then just to call his number at the right time, I really think he’s one of the best in the conference getting  to the rack and finishing and his looks were really valuable. Anytime late in the game that he's gets valuable looks  helps us,” Brackman praised.

Mississinawa was unable to get over the hump down the stretch as the Trojans closed out the game at the charity stripe and 51-41 WOAC win.

“It feels good to get a conference win, any night you can go on the road and get a conference win is great for our kids and our staff, that means a lot as far as the game goes,” Brackman commented.

The Blackhawks came up short, but coach Vaughn was pleased with the team’s effort who has played the last three games without 6-7 Ben Hamilton.

“I give my kids credit, defensively we were pretty good and gave up just 3 triples on the night to a pretty good shooting team,” Vaughn said. 

He was also pleased with the spark provided by sophomore guard Jaxin Beanblossom.

Jaxin Beanblossom hangs in the air for two in the lane.  He scored 9 points in second half to give the Hawks a boost.

“I mean, Jackson came off the bench and gave us good minutes and led us in scoring in the second half with 9 points when we had a tough time getting going,” Vaughn added.

“I told the kids, don't hang your heads, we got to get back to work and be ready to play Twin Valley South and hopefully get back on the winning side,” Vaughn concluded.

Box Score

Score by Quarter

Arcanum             12 … 10 … 12 … 17 – 51
Mississinawa      09 … 07 … 12 … 13 – 41

Team Scoring:

Arcanum
Flatter 1-4-5/7 – 16, Cartwright 0-3-0/0 – 6, McCans 1-0-2/2 – 5,Brubaker 0-1-0/0 – 2,
Weiss 1-1-2/2 – 7, Kessler 1-0-1/3 – 3, Ball 0-4-3/5 – 11, Etherington 0-0-1/2 – 1,
Totals 3-7-14/21 – 51

Mississinawa ValleyHanes 1-3-0/0 – 9, Beanblossom 1-3-0/0 – 9, Amspaugh 0-2-0/0 – 4, Scott 0-4-1/2 – 9, Hardy 0-2-0/2 – 4, Grow 0-1-0/0 – 2, C. Hamilton 0-2-0/0 – 4, Totals 2-17-1/4 – 41

Mississinawa Cheerleaders in full support mode for the Blackhawks.
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The National Trail Boys Basketball Team won the first ever "Blazer Holiday Battle" defeating Tri-County North 55-38 in the championship game. (Submitted Photo)

Christmas and New Years generally brings us high school basketball Holiday Tournaments and for National Trail it would be their first ever, the “Blazer Holiday Battle”.  The opening night showcased Tri-County North vs Middletown Christian and National Trail vs New Miami.

Tri-County North 55 - Middletown Christian 54

Tri-County North led by Head Coach Garrett Woodyard react to big plays by the Panthers to win a nail biter 55-54 over Middletown Christian in the first round of the holiday tournament.  (Dale Barger Photo)

Tri-County North came out on top 55-54 in a game that went back and forth throughout.

The two teams played to a 17 all tie in the first quarter and the Panthers would own a one-point lead at the half 26-25. 

In the first half Travis Williamson had a hot hand draining 3 triples and 10 points.  Clint Barnes and Koby Reynolds both had 6 points at the break.

Clint Barnes knocks down a mid-range shot in win over Middletown. (Dale Barger Photo)

North saw the lead slip away at the end of the 3rd quarter and trailed by three going into the 4th quarter 39-36.

The Panthers regained the lead on Koby Reynolds fielder around the 3 minute and then pushed the lead to 48-44 on an Aiden Richie triple at 2:17.

A Barnes free throw and a lefthanded lay-up in traffic by Reynolds kept them in front 51-46 and they extended the lead further on two free throws from Corbin Flory 53-46 with 25 seconds to go. 

But Middletown Christian had a couple of good outside shooters, and they struck from deep to pull to 53-49.  North went 1-2 from the free throw line only to see the Lions score quickly to pull within three, 55-51. 

Corbin Flory's made free throw with 1.1 seconds left proved to be the difference in win over Middletown Christian. (Dale Barger Photo)

With just 1.1 seconds left to go Flory was at the free throw line again.  The youngster had 10 points in the game, 8 in the final frame staring down two big free throws and missed the first but hit the critical second one just in case the impossible might happen which did as the Lions connected on a long range shot at the buzzer bringing the final score to 55-54.

Koby Reynolds led the Panthers with 16, Travis Williamson 13, Corbin Flory 10 and Clint Barnes 9 in the win.

Koby Reynolds make a tough shot in traffic.  (Dale Barger Photo)

National Trail 57 – New Miami 25


Lucas Alexander drains 15' shot late in the game vs New Miami.  The Blazers won 57-25 to advance to championship game. (Photo by National Trail Student Olyviahna Mason)

In the nightcap the Blazers were too much for New Miami who struggled to score against their solid man-to-man defense.  National Trail started slow but got it rolling in the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters.

The Blazers led 11-5 after the 1^st quarter and 28-11 at the half.  Jr. guard Kellen Laird let the way with 10 first half points.

Kellen Laird got Blazers off to a good start with 10 first half points. (Dale Barger Photo)

Laird added 5 more points in the 3^rd quarter along with 5 other Blazer’s scoring including freshman Talon Bousman with 5 points. 

Freshman Talon Bousman scored 5 straight points in 3rd quarter and gave Trail a boost off the bench. (Dale Barger Photo)

Trail would go on to win the game handily 57-25 with Kellen Laird leading the way with 15 points, Talon Bousman 10 and Tayden Blevins 9 for National Trail who advanced to the championship game vs Tri-County North.

In the championship game National Trail jumped in front of Tri-County North 16-10. 

All five Blazer starters scored in the period Daniel Turpin, Tayden Blevins and Kellen Laird each had 4 points and Ethan Oswald and Brancin Mowen had two each.

Tayden Blevins had a solid tournament scoring 21 points in both games and had 8 rebounds in the championship game. (Dale Barger Photo)

For North it was Clint Barnes, Corbin Flory scoring 4 points each and Koby Reynolds 2 points.

Kellen Laird added 7 more points in the 2^nd quarter for Trail and had 11 at the break with the Blazers leading the Panthers 28-18.

Tri-County North had their best offensive production in the 3^rd quarter with 13 points, led by Peyton Fannin with 6 points and Koby Reynolds with 5. 

But the Blazers were still clicking on offense themselves scoring 15 to win the quarter.  Blevins led the way with 8 points.

National Trail clamped down on North in the final frame holding them to just 7 points while adding 12 more to win the game 55-38 and won their first ever Holiday Tournament which is something head coach Andy Blevins has wanted to do for some time.

“We were super excited to do this (host a holiday tournament) back in 2010 when I was here with Mike Bradley, we wanted to do this, but the school wasn’t really in a position to do it, so we're excited to have on now. We want to make sure it's a good experience for everybody. None of these current kids have ever played in a holiday tournament so we’ve only got to play maybe one or two games over break. So, I think it's a good experience for them,” National Trail coach Andy Blevins stated.

And what a better way to do that than winning their very first Blazer Holiday Battle against a rival team Tri-County North with 9 of your 10 roster players scoring in the game. 

Kellen Laird led the way with 14 points and had a two-day total of 28 and was named Tournament MVP.  He would be joined on the 1^st team by teammates Tayden Blevins and Brancin Mowen. 

Players from Tri-County North & National Trail all-tournament L-R: Brancin Mowen, Koby Reynolds, Kellen Laird (MVP), Clint Barnes & Tayden Blevins. (Submitted Photo)

Tri-County North finishing runner-up placed two players on the All-Tournament team, Koby Reynolds and Clint Barnes.

Tri-County North falls to 4-5 on the year and is 0-4 in WOAC play.  They will play at Preble Shawnee this Friday.

National Trail improved to 4-6 overall and is 1-3 in the WOAC and they will host Twin Valley South on Friday.

Tri-County North Cheerleaders were in good spirit for the Holiday Battle at National Trail.
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