By: Joe Shouse, Sports Writer
WAUSEON – Wayne Trace, seeded number 4 soundly defeated ninth seed Ottawa Hills 59-32 to open the OHSAA Division III state basketball tournment. A solid second half that saw the Raiders outscore Ottawa Hills 33-14 was enough to move them on to the next game of the sectional tournament played at Wauseon.
Wayne Trace opened the contest ready to play scoring the first nine points. The quarter ended with the Raiders in control 19-10. Scoring settled down in the second frame with the Greem Bears outscoring the red, white, and blue by a single point 8-7. Wayne Trace continued to hold its lead throughout the third period and entered the final eight minutes of play on top 40-28. However, the fourth quarter belonged to Wayne Trace who scored the first 12 points to take control 52-28. The Raiders outscored Ottawa Hills in the fourth frame 19-4 to secure the 27-point win and giving Head Coach Jim Linder his 250th. career win.
The 17-6 Raiders were led in scoring by junior Brooks Laukhuf who poured in 24 points with team mate Kyle Stoller finishing with a double-double including 18 poionts and 15 rebounds along with a team high four assists. Rounding out the scoring was Hudson Myers with nine, Tyler Davis five, and Lance Maenle hiting his only three-point attempt for three points.
The Green Bears placed Samuel McCaffery in double-digits with 14 followed by Jackson Snyder with nine, Chase Mi;ller adding six and Chance Coy with three. Ottawa Hill bows out of the sectional tournament with a 10-13 record.
