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Tri-Village and Ansonia locked horns in one of two big girls WOAC basketball games played on Saturday.  The Patriots got the win 38-33. 

ANSONIA – Two big games on Saturday January 3rd that impact the WOAC girls basketball league title took place in Darke County just a few miles apart from each other.  Arcanum traveled to unbeaten Mississinawa Valley and Tri-Village was at Ansonia.

Mississinawa Valley has steam rolled through the league against the top teams added another impressive win against Arcanum 63-38 to remain undefeated in the conference at 6-0 and 10-1 overall putting themselves in control of the league race.

Tri-Village and Ansonia both needed a win to stay a game back and an outside shot at the crown. The two teams would lock horns in a defensive battle that went down to the wire.

The Tigers struck first in this one on a full-court lay-up from sophomore guard Shyann McKenna.  The Patriots countered on a short bank shot from junior Kenna Wilcox.

Shyann McKenna gets the first basket of the game on a lay-up.

Ansonia scored the next five points on a lay-up from senior Rose Barga and a triple from junior forward London Reichert to jump on top 7-2 at 4:33.

Tri-Village got three free throws from freshman Taytum Gray to answer but Reichert came right back with a left-handed lay-up to stay in front 9-5 at the three-minute mark.

Rose Barga provided over half the offense for Ansonia leading her team with 18 points.

Free throws were keeping the Patriots close with Tai Mize knocking down two … but Rose Barga added a triple a minute later for Ansonia to go up 12-7.

Tri-Village senior guard Adalynn Hines scored in the lane to close the gap with the Tigers leading 12-9 after one quarter.

Tri-Village dominated in the second period by scoring 16 points while holding Ansonia to just three.

TV closed to 12-11 on two free throws from Hines … then Rose Barga hit her second triple of the game at the seven-minute mark to stay in front 15-11 … but Hines on an old-fashion three drew the PATS within one, 15-14 at six minutes.

Sydnee DeLong gave the Patriots the lead for good on this three-pointer in the 2nd quarter.

Senior guard Sydnee DeLong dropped a triple from the wing giving Tri-Village the lead for the first time in the game 17-15 at 5:10 of the 2nd quarter. 

After getting off to a hot start things went cold for the Tigers as they failed to score in the last 7 minutes of the first half.  The Patriots added to their lead with 8 points in the quarter from Hines, DeLong had five and Alexa Light three to lead 25-15 at the break.

The pace of play slowed considerably in the second half, in fact the Tigers scored just one field goal in the third quarter on a lay-up from Rose Barga ... but they also benefitted from the charity stripe going 7-for-8 scoring nine points in the 3rd quarter.

London Reichert goes in for a lay-up for two of her seven points for the Tigers.

Tri-Village would reach their largest lead in the game 30-18 after a Wilcox lay-up and an old fashioned three-pointer from Hines.  

Ansonia's Reichert made two free throws to cut the score to 30-20 at 2:21 of the third quarter and moments later Tai Mize was whistled for a foul, the fifth team foul in the quarter sending Rose Barga to the free throw line.

For an added bonus Rose shot a technical foul that was assessed for illegal substitution by the Patriots and made all four charity tosses and the gym came alive with excitement as Ansonia cut the lead down to 30-24 heading into the final frame.

Rose Barga started the fourth quarter with a bucket to make it 30-26 before Tri-Village got a big bucket from Hines to break the run to go up 33-26.

Senior Olivia Creager dialed in her own triple to respond for the Tigers to make it 33-29 at 6:50.

Tri-Village got a free throw from Tai Mize to go up 34-29 ... but then the Tigers defense shut the PATS down over the next four minutes and added two fielders one each from Creager and Rose Barga to trail by just one 34-33 with 55 seconds left in the game.

While TV struggled to score they ramped up their pressure rattling the Tigers creating turnovers leading to Ansonia fouling and sending the PATS to the free throw line. 

While the Patriots were just 5-for-10 at the line in the fourth quarter it was enough to help them down the stretch secure the win 38-33 to hold off the late Tigers rally.

Tri-Village coach Brad Gray credited his defense to help his team get the win.

“I thought our defense, again, won the game for us today, especially down the stretch, we sped them up and we got a lot of stops,” Gray stated.

“I said at the beginning of the year, I really believe Ansonia is definitely one of the best, if not the best team in our league and I really believe that. I still believe that today, that's a really good basketball team and will continue to be good because they're so well coached.  He (Coach Connor Custenborder) is doing an awesome job with them, they're never going to be an easy game here for these next few years, I know they lose a couple important seniors, but with their sophomore class loaded and Reichert as a junior they won’t be an easy team to beat,” Gray added.

The Tigers defense made it tough on Tri-Village, but the Patriots senior leader Adalynn Hines took charge for her team in this one and her play was key to helping the Patriots get the win.

“We had seven turnovers in the fourth and four of those were untimely right after we got it down to one score and I think (Adalynn) Hines accounted for all four of them.  I told the girls all week, Hines is probably the best on ball defender I've ever seen, and she creates a lot of turnovers, creates a lot of pressure, credit to her for forcing them,” coach Custenborder stated.

The Tigers gave themselves a chance in the game by riding the hot hand of Rose Barga who led all scorers in the game with 18 points while also leaning on their zone defense that stymied Tri-Village at times.

“We thought the zone was our best game plan to beat them.  Just make sure we close out on shooters because they all shoot the ball really well. They have six or seven girls that you got to close out on hard, so we ran a 3-2 to try and get them off the top of the key and make them drive lanes,” Custenborder said.

It was Adalynn Hines who was able to take that challenge of driving the lanes and she would lead Tri-Village with 17 points.

“Hines, again, on the offensive end, did a great job of weaving in and out and getting layups and creating contact for them,” Custenborder said.

With the win Tri-Village improves to 10-1 on the year and 5-1 in the WOAC a game behind Mississinawa.  Tri-Village will be back in action on Thursday hosting Dixie.

Ansonia falls to 7-3 overall and 3-2 in the WOAC.  They big back-to-back away games at Newton on Thursday and Mississinawa Valley on Saturday.

Box Scores

Score by Quarters

09 … 16 … 05 … 08 – 38 – Tri-Village
12 … 03 … 09 … 09 – 33 – Ansonia

Team Scoring

Tri-Village – S. DeLong 1-1-0/2 – 5, T. Gray 0-0-4/5 – 4, T. Mize 0-0-3/4 – 3, K. Wilcox 0-2-2/2 – 6, A. Light 0-1-1/2 – 3, A. Hines 2-3-5/6 – 17, Totals 3-7-15/20 – 38

Ansonia – S. McKenna 0-1-0/0 – 2, R. Barga 2-4-4/4 –18, O. Creager 1-1-1/2 – 6, L Reichert 1-1-2/2 – 7, Totals 4-7-7/9 – 33


Adalynn Hines led the Patriots on both ends of the floor in PATS win over Ansonia.  She scored 17 points and led the way on defense as well.
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Mississinawa stays unbeaten with win over Arcanum

Mississinawa Valley's Cora Hoggatt had 24 points in win over Arcanum to help the Hawks remain undefeated in the WOAC at 6-0.

UNION CITY – The Mississinawa Valley Lady Blackhawks continued their dominant run through conference play Saturday afternoon, remaining unbeaten with their 10th straight win after defeating the visiting Arcanum Lady Trojans 63-38 at the Nest.

“We’re playing really well,” said Mississinawa coach Kirk Comer. “The thing I’m most excited about is we have such a great opportunity for growth. They’re still learning from me and I’m learning them. We’re going to continue to work hard and try to be the best we can be at the end of the season.”

Returning to the lineup after missing time with an injury, senior Paige Emerick didn’t miss a beat, leading the Lady Blackhawks with 18 points while knocking down three shots from beyond the arc.

“Paige anticipated really well in the passing lanes and got some easy baskets for us,” Comer said. “It was an all-around good defensive night, and I thought we took steps getting better today. She’s a really good player and leader.”

Paige Emrick pitched in 18 points in win over Mississinawa.

Mississinawa wasted no time setting the tone, turning the opening tip into a Tenlee Woodbury layup just three seconds into the game. The Lady Blackhawks never looked back, building an 18-9 lead after the first quarter.

The margin grew in the second period as Mississinawa stretched its advantage to 29-14 with 3:15 remaining before halftime. Brooklynn Seubert spent time on the bench with two fouls in the quarter, but the Lady Hawks still carried a commanding 34-18 lead into the break.

Mississinawa continued to create separation in the third quarter, outscoring Arcanum 16-7 to take a 50-25 lead into the final period. The teams played to an even 13-13 fourth quarter, sealing a 25-point conference victory for the Lady Blackhawks.

“The girls have bought into what we’re doing and they’re listening,” Comer said. “The more success you have, the more they’re going to buy in. I’ve been very blessed and lucky to have great kids throughout my 30 years of coaching, and this year is no exception. They’re just a great group of kids.”

Arcanum coach Abbey Moore pointed to ball control and physical play as key areas needing improvement.

“It’s always about taking care of the basketball, and we have to figure that out,” Moore said. “These girls give their all, and they fight, but we have to develop more toughness and grit so that doesn’t happen on the floor.

“We need to get back in the gym on Monday,” Moore added. “We got out-rebounded and gave them shots and layups. You can’t do that and expect to win a ballgame.”

Cora Hoggatt led Mississinawa Valley and all scorers with a game-high 24 points.

Box Score

Score by Quarters

18-16-16-13 63 MISSISSINAW VALLEY
09-09-07-13 38 ARCANUM

MISSISSINAWA VALLEY – C. Hoggatt 24, P. Emrick 18, M. Hoggatt 7, T. Woodbury 6, B. Seubert 6, C. Seubert 1, T. Reichard 1 –  TOTALS 18 12-24 5 63

ARCANUM – C. Long 13, A. Paul 12, M. Noe 5, C. Hein 4, E. Flatter 2, D. Michael 2 – TOTALS 9 5-9 5 38


Senior Caroline Long led Arcanum with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
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Tri-Village sets up in 2-3 zone that was effective in 2nd half of Johnathan Alder game & against Kettering Fairmont both wins against bigger schools for the Patriots.

NEW MADISON – The Tri-Village boys basketball team put together impressive back-to-back performances against quality opponents with wins over Plain City Jonathan Alder in the Holiday Hoopla Classic in Columbus and DI Kettering Fairmont at the "Pac” on Saturday 55-19.

The Patriots are currently ranked #1 in D6 boys basketball and played like it against Fairmont as they jumped out to a 19-3 first quarter lead on the Firebirds.

They shot a blistering 73% in the opening quarter but maybe even more eye opening was the defensive performance they turned in.

Tri-Village normally a man-to-man team came out in a 2-3 zone determined to make the Firebirds beat them from the outside and not allow the Greater Western Ohio Athletic Conference scoring leader Jayden McGraw to beat them inside.

Coming into the game McGraw was averaging a double-double with 22.5 ppg and 11 rebounds.  But when he caught the ball in the paint he was swarmed and unable to operate to get a shot off. 

“Defensively we wanted to make it tough on him to score and when he turned to face the basket he hit a brick wall in Dom Black and then our help defenders double and triple up on him to make it tough for him to score,” Tri-Village coach Josh Sagester stated.

McGraw scored on a three-pointer from the perimeter, and it was the only points the firebirds had in the first quarter.

The Patriots got 12 points from Trey Sagester including back-to-back triples, one a step back three to end the quarter.  Brecken Gray and Griffin Richards each had a three and Dom Black added a bucket in the paint for a big 19-3 lead.


Sophomore guard Brecken Gray hit a big three-pointer in first quarter and two in the game versus Kettering Fairmont. TV won the game 55-19.

The Patriots were locked in on defense working hard and subbed part of the first and second quarter with no drop off in effort with everyone on the same page, and that effort held Fairmont to just four second quarter points.

Dom Black had back-to-back solid games on offense with 17 & 11 points hand was a force on defense holding Fairmont's leading scorer 16 points below his average.

Offensively Dom Black scored 7 points who benefitted from assists from Finkbine, Richards and Sagester.  Richards had 5 points on a drive to the rim, and another three-pointer as TV held a 35-7 halftime lead.

The Patriots shot 60% in the second quarter and 65% in the first half.

Tri-Village continued to pound the paint in the third frame with Black going for another 8 points.  A couple more three’s one by Brecken Gray and then a 3/4 court buzzer beater from Sagester to the third quarter with TV up 51-14.

The running clock slowed down the scoring in the final frame with the game already in hand as Tri-Village wrapped up a 55-19 win.

Tri-Village finished the game 23/41 for 56% shooting on 14 assists.  They held the Firebirds to 19% shooting and won the boards 23-18.  Kettering Fairmont had 13 turnovers to the Patriots 5 in the game.

Trey Sagester and Dom Black led the way on offense with 17 points each and Griffin Richards added 13 for Tri-Village.

After the game coach Sagester talked about the week his team had and was pleased with his entire team’s effort.

“Tonight was a statement win for our program and everyone who played affected the win with contributions across the board,” Sagester explained.

“Not only did we play well here tonight, but we also played well in the Holiday Hoopla Classic in Columbus to get a win against a good Alder team,” Sagester added.

It was a close game for nearly three quarters in that contest with the Patriots holding a one-point lead at the half 26-25.  In the third quarter the Patriots match-up zone caused shooting woes for Jonathan Alder as they pushed ahead 45-35.

Tri-Village then went on a 19-2 run in the 4th quarter to put the game and coming away with a 68-44 win against the 29th overall ranked team in the state.

After the game coach Sagester talked about why they have schedule some of the teams they face this year.

“We try to put our kids in positions to be uncomfortable and play different styles of basketball so that when we get into tournament, we can go back and you say, yea, 'we’ve seen this, Hey, we’ve done this before',” Sagester commented.

Trey Sagester has been averaging 28 points a game this year & hit that average against Jonathan Alder, and had 17 points in a running clock game against Fairmont.

Four Patriots scored in double figures with Trey Sagester leading the way with 28 points, Noah Finkbine and Griffin Richards each had 11 and Dom Black 10 points in the win.

The Patriots improve to 7-0 overall and will host Cincinnati Christian Tuesday which will be Hall-of-Fame night at the "Pac”.

Box Score

Score by Quarter

Fairmont …. 03 … 04 … 07 … 05 – 19
Tri-Village … 19 … 16 … 16 … 04 - 55

Team Scoring

Fairmont:
K. Ralston 0-0-0/2 – 0, A. Adams 1-1-0/0 – 5, S. Newman 1-1-1/2 – 6, J. McGraw 1-1-2/2 – 7, Totals 3-3-4/7 – 19

Tri-Village:
D. Black 0-7-3/3 -17, T. Sagester 3-4-0/1 -17, G. Richards 1-5-0/0 -13,
N. Finkbine 0-1-0/0 -2, B. Gray 2-0-0/0 -6, Totals 6-17-3/4 – 55

Junior point guard Griffin Richards had solid back-to-back games with 11 and 13 points in two bigs wins over Jonathan Alder and Kettering Fairmont.   

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Tai Mize had 14 points in 4th quarter 10 in 40 seconds propelling the Patriots to a big WOAC win over Arcanum.

ARCANUM – The Tri-Village Lady Patriots basketball team on the strength of a hot start and good defense including a disruptive flurry in the fourth quarter delivered a 52-38 WOAC win at Arcanum.

Arcanum held a 6-5 lead at 3:30 to start the game but the Patriots exploded for 17 points in the last 2:39 of the opening quarter to lead 22-8.

Tri-Village connected on six triples led by Kenna Wilcox with two of them and 8 points.  Taytum Gray had two and Sydnee DeLong and Tai Mize each had one.

Arcanum stepped it up defensively and battled back holding the Patriots to just three points in the second period and added another eight of their own to remain in striking distance at the half down 25-16.

Kenna Wilcox hit some big three's for Tri-Village and had 12 points in the win.

At the break Kenna Wilcox paced TV with nine points and Josie Schwartz had five for Arcanum.  Also standing out in the first half was junior forward Ella Flatter with 10 rebounds helping hold the Patriots to one shot and done in the second quarter.

Tri-Village got their offense going after the half and doubled up Arcanum 32-16 before Flatter answered with a lay-up at 3:38 in the third quarter.  That was followed by a triple from Matty Noe and a fielder from Long cutting into the lead 32-23.

Sydnee DeLong got a runner in the lane to drop to stop the 7-point run by the Trojans who got a lay-up from Josie Schwartz to end the third quarter with the PATS up 34-25.


Josie Schwartz had 10 points & big buckets to end the third and start the fourth quarter for Arcanum.

Schwartz started the final frame with another bucket and Arcanum had the lead down to 34-27 … but Kenna Wilcox would give TV some breathing room with a big three-ball to push the lead back to double digits 37-27.

Caroline Long got big bucket inside to make it 37-29 before Tri-Village went on a 10-point run with all the scoring provided by senior point guard Tai Mize.

Mize took one to the rim to start for an old-fashion three-point play.  The Patriots immediately jumped into a full court press and a steal by Mize led to a lay-up, followed by another steal for a second lay-up and then she topped that off with a triple for 10 straight points ballooning the lead to 47-29 all in less than 40 seconds.

Arcanum just like they did all game long battled back on three from Noe and a goal from Claire Hein to close to 47-34.

TV for much of the final frame took air out of the ball with the lead and Arcanum with time against them had to foul. 

Mize would score 14 of her game high 22 points in the fourth quarter to keep the Trojans at bay the rest of the way giving Tri-Village a big 52-38 win.

Kenna Wilcox would add 12 points, Taytum Gray and  Sydnee DeLong each added 8 points and Adalynn Hines who sat much of the game due to foul trouble had 3 points.

The Patriots forced 21steals let by Mize with 8 steals and 5 assists, Hines had 7 steals and DeLong 4 steals, 2 assist.

Tri-Village improved to 8-1 overall, 4-1 in the WOAC and they will travel up to Coldwater on December 29th.

Arcanum was led by Caroline Long with 11 points, Matty Noe 10, Josie Schwartz 9, Claire Hein 4, Ella Flatter 3 and Avery Leeper 1.

Arcanum's Ella Flatter gave maximum effort to grab 18 rebounds and was a big factor in helping the Trojans stay close most of the game.

Arcanum doubled up the rebounding edge 40 to 20, led by Flatter with 18 boards.

Arcanum falls to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in the WOAC.  They will play at Covington on December 30th.

BOX SCORES

Score by Quarters

TV …. 22 … 03 … 09 … 18 – 52
AR … 08 … 08 … 09 … 13 – 38

Team Scoring

TV – S. DeLong 1-2-1/2 – 8, T. Gray 2-1-0/1 – 8, T. Mize 2-6-3/7 – 22, A. Hines 0-1-1/2 – 3,
K. Wilcox 3-0-3/4 – 12 – Totals 8-10-8/16 - 52

AR – J. Schwartz 1-3-0/0 – 9, A. Leeper 0-0-1/2 – 1, C. Hein 0-2-0/0 – 4, C. Long 0-4-3/4 – 11, M. Noe 3-0-1/2 – 10, E. Flatter 0-1-1/2 – 3, Totals 4-10-6/10 – 38

It was a memorable night for Tai Mize with 14 points in 4th quarter for Tri-Village.
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Tenlee Woodbury came up big with three consecutive steals for lay-ups in 2nd quarter to help Mississinawa quell a Newton run.  The Hawks won the game 57-34.  

(Dale Barger photos)

PLEASANT HILL – Mississinawa Valley girls basketball remains undefeated in the WOAC with a 57-34 win over Newton Saturday afternoon. 

Newton is an exciting young team and has already pulled off a surprise in the early part of the 2025-26 season last Saturday with a 51-48 win over Arcanum. 

It was the first of three straight games against some of the top teams in the league. 

They played at Tri-Village Thursday night falling 47-22 and needed a win verses Mississinawa to stay in the WOAC race.

Mississinawa got off to a great start jumping out to an 8-0 lead on six points from Cora Hoggatt and two from Brooklynn Seubert.

Mississinawa senior forward Cora Hoggatt used her size, athletic versatlity to score 22 points and lead the Hawks to a win over Newton.

The 3-2 zone defense employed by the Hawks stymied the Indians who began to try and work the ball into the middle to senior Rylee Hess and let her attack.  

She got the Indians on the board drawing a foul at the rim making a free throw and followed with an-old fashion three-point play to draw the score 8-4 at 2:25.

Scoring the ball allowed Newton’s press go into action creating some turnovers and lay-ups for freshman guard Ani Cottrell and another from Hess tying the game at eight.

Newton Fr. guard Ani Cottrell is going to be fun to watch over the next few years.  She gave Newton the lead on a step back jumper in the lane & had 12 points for the game.

Moments later Cottrell hit a step back jumper in the lane giving the Indians a 10-8 lead, all in just a few minutes prompting Mississinawa to use a timeout.

Mississinawa responded with a fielder from freshman Cassidy Seubert … but Rylee Hess with 7 points in 1st quarter finished the scoring on a free throw giving Newton an 11-10 advantage.

The Hawks settled down in the 2nd quarter and turned it up a bit on defense which led to three steals by sophomore guard Tenlee Woodbury converting lay-ups for six points.  Cora Hoggatt scored eight in the paint as Mississinawa looked to take advantage of their size.

Hess was the only player to score for Newton, she had five in the 2nd quarter, and they would trail 28-16 at the break.

Newton lacking size had to play to their strengths and in the 2nd half they pushed tempo and with that comes mistakes but at some point you have to live with them.

Newton scored 9 points in the 3rd quarter, Cottrell hit a triple and a fielder for five and the Hess sisters both had two each.

But they couldn’t slow down Mississinawa who increased their lead to 41-24 heading into the final frame.

Brooklynn Seubert who ran into foul trouble much of the game scored eight points and the Hawks had 16 in the fourth quarter, while Newton added another nine, falling 57-34 in league play.

After the game Mississinawa coach Kirk Comer shared his disappointment for not handling Newton’s pressure well … but also gave credit to the Indians as well.

“I didn't think we handled the pressure very well. We got to get a lot better.  It hurts not having Paige Emrick (out with injury) … but it’s next man up,” Comer explained.

“We prepared for their pressure, but obviously we weren't prepared enough. We tried to do things we didn't practice and therefore had several turnovers. Hopefully we've learned from that,” coach Comer stated.

“They (Newton) play hard, and I think they're well coached and we thought coming in here it was going to be a battle … and it was a battle, but for to us reach our goals, we've got to be better at taking care of the basketball,” Comer said.

“We still were able to compensate for those turnovers and get the win,” Comer concluded.

Senior Rylee Hess showed poise, leadership and made plays all game long for her team and ended with 18 points. 

Newton’s Rylee Hess shouldered much of the load on offense with 18 points and Ani Cottrell added 12 for the Indians.  They fell to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the WOAC and will be back in action on Tuesday playing at Dixie.

Cora Hoggatt led all scorers with a solid 22 and Brooklynn Seubert had 12 to lead Mississinawa.  They improve to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the WOAC and will host Northeastern on Monday.

Box Scores:

Score by Quarters

MV …… 10… 18 … 13 … 16 – 57

NEW … 11 … 05 … 09 … 09 – 34

Team Scoring:

MV: T. Woodbury 0-3-0/2 – 6, M. Hoggatt 0-2-3/6 – 7, T. Reichard 0-1-0/0 – 2, C. Seubert 1-2-1/3 – 8, C. Hoggatt 0-11-0/1 – 22, B. Seubert 0-2-0/0 12 – Totals 1-25-4/12 - 57

NEW: B. Hines 0-1-0/0 – 2, B. Hess 0-1-0/0 – 2, R. Hess 0-6-6/9 – 18, P. Holbrook – 0-0-0/2 – 0, A. Cottrell 2-3-0/0 – 12, Totals 2-11-6/11 - 34

Brooklyn Seubert had limited minutes due to foul trouble but still ended the game with 12 points for the 7-1 Hawks and 5-0 in the WOAC. 
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The Battleground is not an easy place to play but Tri-Village needed a 15-point run to pull away from Arcanum in 43-31 WOAC win.  (Photos by Dale Barger)

NEW MADISON – The Arcanum Boys Basketball Team had the tempo they wanted and a lead 25-24 late in the third quarter.  But Tri-Village was able to speed up the Trojans and make shots scoring 15 unanswered points from two-minute mark of the third to the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter to claim a 43-31 WOAC win.

Coming into the game the Patriots were averaging 72 points a game and Arcanum 50 points so the game plan for Arcanum coming in was to take as much time as needed for each possession and not allow Tri-Village to get the game up-tempo.   

Noah Finkbine left open drains a three-pointer in first quarter. 

While Arcanum was successful holding the Patriots to just 10 first quarter points on triples from Noah Finkbine and Trey Sagester and a couple of fielders from Dom Black and Hayden Hunt.  The Trojans were only able to muster 4 of their own on a triple from Matthew McCans and a free throw from Ben Hamilton.

However, Tri-Village center Dom Black would find himself in foul trouble picking up two early and he would sit the rest of the first half.

Arcanum stuck with the game plan and with Black out senior forward Cameron Ball went to work in the paint.  Ball either scored at the rim or made free throws after being fouled and scored 8 of his team’s 10 second quarter points.

Sophomore forward Ben Hamilton works inside for two of his seven points.

The Trojan defense slowed Tri-Village even more with Trey Sagester scoring the only points (7) for the Patriots who held onto a 17-14 lead at the break.

Arcanum continued to be comfortable playing with their pace and for the next six minutes they were able to force a tie and then take the lead 23-22 and 25-24 at 2:14 in the third quarter.

The Trojans got four points each from Ball and Ben Hamilton and a triple from Jace Mote.

Scoring for the Patriots again was provided by Trey Sagester who had 10 of their 12 points in the third.  Dom Black had two free throws but played a limited role again fouling out of the game.

Dom Black pulls down rebound, but foul trouble limited his playing time allowing Arcanum to establish a post game and they took advantage of it.

After Hamilton gave Arcanum their final lead 25-24 at 2:14, Sagester canned a short jumper and then a long step-back three to end the third with the Patriots up 29-25.

Clearly a more concentrated level of pressure was being applied by Tri-Village that started to cause some cracks in the patient execution and playing late into a possession that led to a few easier baskets for the Patriots.

Trey Sagester hit some big shots and two big triples late, he led all scorers with 26.

A lay-up from Noah Finkbine to start the final frame and a triple from Sagester in the corner pushed the lead to 34-25 prompting an Arcanum timeout.

The drought for Arcanum continued and senior guard Carson Bedinghaus piled on for the Patriots with his triple and then a Brecken Gray fielder extended TV’s led to 39-25.

Jace Mote finally broke a seven-minute scoring drought at the free throw line, but the Patriots extended their lead to 42-26 for the largest lead of the game at the one-minute mark.

Cameron Ball worked h is magic around the rim and was the Trojans most effective offensive player scoring 15 points.

Arcanum’s Ball connected from beyond the arch and Ben Hamilton scored another bucket in the last minute, but the dry spell took its toll with the Patriots taking a 43-31 WOAC win.

Arcanum coach Kevin Brackman was pleased with his teams game plan and execution and broke it down on why they played a more deliberate style game.

“I'll throw some numbers at you. Last year we played this same game, and they (Tri-Village) took 61 shots to our 32 and they're shooting 64% from the floor. Two years ago, it was the same game, 55 shots to our to our 34 right?  We felt like our best chance was to limit their offensive opportunities,” Brackman explained.

And for three quarters the Trojans were right where they needed to be and by games end they held TV to 37 shots to their 21. 

Arcanum would only shoot 8-for-17 from the free throw line and had 20 turnovers, make a few more free throws and few less turnovers and a long dry spell on offense it might have been a different game.

But you also have to give credit to the Tri-Village, when they needed to change the tempo of the game they were able to ratchet up pressure and Arcanum sped up on offense.

I think we had it to a two-possession game going into the 4^th quarter, we talked all week about being there and wanted to hit big shots. We established the post to make sure to be in the best position to do that. But we started to make some silly decisions where we settled early in possessions and against a team like Tri-Village that’s going to make a run, it cost us.  On two quick possessions and they go down and hit back-to-back threes, and it went from being down four or five to 10 or 11, and that was the game,” Brackman said.  

In order to run a patient offense you need a point guard who can handle the pressure and make good decisions and Jace Mote did it well for Arcanum who hung tough for three quarters. 

But I’m really proud of our guys we threw some new ideas and tonight proved we can sit down and guard and get stops because our defense really as much as our offense, kept us in there most of the game,” Brackman commented.

Tri-Village coach Josh Sagester gave credit to Arcanum and said they did what they had to do. 

“They executed their game plan well tonight and he (Coach Brackman) had his team where they wanted to be.  I know their plan was to take air out of the basketball and they did a good job with it. We've been there as a program. You got to do what gives your team the best chance to win and his kids did a good job, executed and played really hard,” Sagester stated.

They slowed us down and it came down to Trey, and he had a great night.  The three he hit at the end of the third quarter and early fourth were kind of big,” Sagester stated.

Trey would lead all scorers in the game with 26 while Cameron Ball led Arcanum with 15.

Arcanum falls to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the WOAC and they will host Waynesfield Goshen Saturday night.

Tri-Village improves to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the league play.  They will play Jonathan Alder at Columbus Convention Center on Monday night.

Box Score

Score by Quarters

ARC – 04 … 10 … 11 … 06 - 31

TV – 10 … 07 … 12 … 14 – 43

Team Scoring

ARC – J. Mote 1-0-1/2 – 4, McCans 1-0-0/0 3, Garno 0-1-0/0 – 2, Ball 1-4-4/9 – 15, B. Hamilton 0-2-3/5 – 7, Totals 3-7-8/17 - 31

TV – Black 0-1-2/3 - 4, Sagester 4-5-4/6 – 26, H. Hunt 0-1-0/0 2, G. Richards 0-0-1/2 – 1, N. Finkbine 1-1-0/0 – 5, B. Gray 1-0-0/0 – 2, C. Bedinghaus 1-0-0/0 – 3, Totals 6-9-7/11 - 43


Arcanum Coach Kevin Brackman has the Trojans playing good basketball and despite two losses early they are going to win a lot of basketball games this year.
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