Indian Lake 66, Milton-Union 50
The Indian Lake Lakers opened tournament play Thursday night against Milton-Union with a convincing 66-50 victory in the District Quarterfinals.
The Lakers jumped out early 7-0 before the Bulldogs made a shot. Indian Lake grabbed a 17-9 lead after the first quarter thanks to a strong start from Brodey Reisinger.
Indian Lake would stretch its lead to as many as twelve in the second frame, but Milton-Union would fight back and climb within five. The Lakers scored the final three points of the half and led 36-28 at the break.
The Bulldogs came out firing in the third quarter. Carson Fulton hit back-to-back three-pointers as Milton-Union closed the gap to 43-41. Indian Lake turned it up a notch and dominated the Bulldogs the rest of the quarter, going on a 14-1 run as the horn sounded to lead 57-42.
The Lakers’ defense continued to hound the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter, only giving up two points in just over 5:00 minutes on the clock. This helped push their lead to as many as twenty before both teams cleared the bench and let the reserves play out the final 2+ minutes.
Head coach Zach Overturf gives praise to his team and players for stepping up in a tournament environment.
Brodey Reisinger paced the Lakers with 21 points, including two slam dunks. Avery Pequignot had a big second half, scoring 15 of his 19 in the third and fourth quarters. Colin Bendler added 12 and Nixon Lillard 5.
Indian Lake went 18 for 22 from the free-throw line.
Levi Brumbaugh led Milton-Union with 17 points.
The Lakers are now 18-5 and will play Preble Shawnee Tuesday night at Bethel at 6 p.m. The Arrows beat Dayton Christian 55-49.
Stebbins 64, Bellefontaine 60
The Bellefontaine Chieftains saw their season come to an end in the District Quarterfinals, falling 64–60 in a hard-fought battle against the Stebbins Indians.
Stebbins never trailed in the contest, building a lead that grew to as many as 12 points over the course of the night. Despite that, the Chieftains refused to go away.
With momentum favoring the Indians heading into halftime, Bellefontaine emerged from the locker room determined to make Stebbins earn every possession.
The Chieftains steadily chipped away at the deficit in the second half, tying the game multiple times down the stretch and creating several opportunities to grab a late lead. Those chances ultimately went unanswered, however, as Stebbins held its composure, maintained the advantage, and pulled away in the closing moments to secure the win.
Bellefontaine closes the season with an overall record of 11–12.
Bellefontaine Scoring
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Jair Mundy — 24
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Grayson Lotts — 14
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CJ Butler — 11
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Patrick Stolly — 8
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Blake Loomis — 2
Despite the loss, the Chieftains’ effort down the stretch reflected the fight and resilience that defined their season. Head coach Henry Stolly says, despite the ups and downs, he is proud of his team, especially the massive group of seniors.
