Both teams were matched well.
PICTURES: Paulding’s Treston Gonzales scores under the basket while drawing a foul shot. More pictures at westbendnews.net
Paulding previously won against Liberty Center on Thursday, while Ottawa-Glandorf defeated Archbold. The championship game took place at Bowling Green State University on Saturday, March 8.
This was a slow moving game, no doubt, and close through the entire match. The first quarter had the Titans in the lead by one at 8-7. Throughout the game each team scored 4 – 3 point baskets. Kyle Kauser nailed two on five attempts. Alex Arellano and Javier Gonzales both added a 3 point shot to the board. The first half finished with Paulding in the lead at 17-11. The Panthers had incredible second quarter.
The third quarter Paulding only scored 4, but was still leading over the Titans when it finished at 21-19. The fourth quarter was painful for the guest team. Paulding started in the lead gained from the second quarter. At 7:25 left in the game the Titans tied the game and then lead by two. Kauser came back scored a 3 point basket and took the lead by one temporarily. The fans on both sides were pounding the floor, cheering for their teams. It was intense. The Panthers struggled from that point on. Yes, they narrowed the lead, but the lost in foul shots and fouls to the home team. The Panthers scored 10 of 15 shots free throws, while Ottawa hit 16 of 22.
The clock ticked down and the boys did everything they could to regain the lead, but it was not meant to be. The game finished at 36-32 with Paulding finishing their season.
Chris Etzler stated this was the second best season for the Paulding Boys Basketball team. The Panthers finished their season at 18-7 while the Titans continue with a current record of 15-10.
Points by Player:
Paulding: Kyle Kauser 10, Treston Gonzales 8, Javier Gonzales 4, Alex Arellano 3, Julian Salinas 2, Gerod Harder 2, Quentin Vance 2, Guy Harder 1.
Ottawa-Glandorf: Noah Bramlage 19, Brad Recker 6, Alex Schroeder 4, Zach Kuhlman 4, Matias Trampe-Kindt 1, Tyler Zender 2
Score by Quarter:
Paulding: 7 10 4 11 = 32
Ottawa-Glandorf: 8 3 8 17 = 36
Great job to Paulding Boys for a fantastic season!
