Paulding Dominates Rivalry Matchup, Outpaces Hicksville 67-50
HICKSVILLE, OH — The Paulding Panthers asserted their dominance in a key Green Meadows Conference matchup on January 31, 2025, with a commanding 67-50 victory over the Hicksville Aces on the road. Behind a balanced offensive attack and relentless defensive pressure, Paulding took control early and never looked back.
Paulding wasted no time imposing their will, jumping out to a 13-12 lead after the first quarter. While Hicksville managed to keep pace initially, the Panthers began to pull away in the second frame, outscoring the Aces 18-12 to take a 31-24 advantage into the locker room.
Blake Rhonehouse led the charge for Paulding, orchestrating the offense with crisp passing and timely scoring. Kane Jones and Grady Barton proved to be forces in the paint, cleaning up rebounds and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities.
Hicksville’s struggles were amplified in the second half as Paulding’s pressure forced turnovers and disrupted the Aces’ offensive flow. The Aces committed 30 turnovers in the game, allowing Paulding to capitalize in transition and extend their lead.
Paulding put together a 17-12 run in the third quarter, widening the gap to double digits heading into the final period. The Panthers sealed the win with a dominant fourth quarter, outscoring Hicksville 19-14.
Despite the loss, Hicksville saw strong individual performances from Garrett Turnbull and Austin Sanders. Turnbull led the Aces with 14 points, showing his ability to attack the basket and knock down outside shots. Sanders added 10 points, providing leadership and energy on both ends of the court.
However, Hicksville’s offensive struggles and Paulding’s stifling defense proved to be too much to overcome. The Aces found themselves on the wrong end of key possessions, unable to string together enough scoring runs to close the gap.
Paulding’s offensive depth was on full display, with multiple players making significant contributions. Rhonehouse tallied 11 points, while Barton and Jones each chipped in 10. The Panthers’ ability to spread the floor and attack in waves kept Hicksville’s defense on its heels.
Antwerp Wrestling Secures Wins Over Fairview & Montpelier
The Antwerp wrestling team delivered strong performances in their recent matches against Fairview and Montpelier at Edgerton. Antwerp secured a 40-30 victory over Fairview and followed it up with a 35-24 win against Montpelier, showcasing the depth and skill of their lineup.
Several wrestlers stood out with dominant individual performances. Dominic Laker went undefeated with a 2-0 record, securing one win by pin. Kamren Johnson added to the team’s success with a 1-0 record, while Cami McAlexander also finished 1-0, earning a victory by pin. Braxton Peters had an impressive showing, going 1-0 with a pin, and Gage Clevinger matched that feat with a 2-0 record and one pin.
Skyler Octaviano remained unbeaten with a 2-0 record, while Miles Doster mirrored that performance, also finishing 2-0 with a pin. Griffin Kosch and Jarod Traxler both fought hard on the mat, each ending the night with a 1-1 record.
Antwerp’s strong team effort and key individual performances helped secure these victories, continuing their competitive season.
Raiders roll to win over Archers
After a back-and-forth first quarter, Wayne Trace took control in the second period and pulled away from there to a 69-43 win over Antwerp in Green Meadows Conference boys basketball action between county rivals Friday night.
The Raiders held a slim 16-13 lead at the end of one period before expanding the margin in the second stanza, getting fourteen points in the quarter compared to five for the Archers in taking a 30-18 halftime advantage.
Wayne Trace then put the game away in the third quarter, racking up a 25-point quarter while limiting Antwerp to 14 in widening the gap to 55-32 entering the final stanza.
Carter Clemens paced the red, white and blue with 15 points on the night, including a slam dunk early in the second quarter.
Lance Maenle chipped in a dozen markers for the Raiders with Caden Sinn and Zach Stoller both recording eight points.
Brady Miller (six), Micah Sinn (six), Tyson Gerber (five), Tanner Laukhuf (five), Eric Reinhart (two) and Nick Sinn (two) completed the list of Wayne Trace scorers.
Keegan Gray-Wyckoff and Zaine McMichael both finished with 14 points for the Archers and Weston Rhonehouse chipped in eight points. Hampton Rogge (three), Drew Eaken (two) and Tavin Sholl (two) found the scoring column as well for Antwerp.
The Raider junior varsity also was victorious, posting a 36-33 win over Antwerp.
Blake Noggle and Griffin Williamson led a balanced Wayne Trace attack with eight points apiece while Micah Sinn chipped in five markers. Also scoring for the red, white and blue were Jayce Edwards (four), Owen Welch (three), Jensen Beining (three), Eric Reinhart (three) and Reese Morehead (two).
Lincoln Lucas and Noah Lucas both scored ten points to top the Archers with Michael Rohrs chipping in six markers. Brayden Fuller (three), Luke Parrett (two) and Riley Smith (two) also found the scoring column for the Archers.
Lady Panthers Come up Short with the Big Green
On February 4, 2025, the Ottoville Big Green faced the Paulding Panthers in a non-conference girls’ basketball game at Paulding High School. Ottoville secured a 34-19 victory, improving their season record to 19-2, while Paulding fell to 15-5.
The game began with Ottoville establishing a strong lead, ending the first quarter ahead 16-6. Both teams scored seven points in the second quarter, bringing the halftime score to 23-13 in favor of Ottoville. The third quarter saw minimal scoring, with Ottoville adding three points and Paulding four, making it 26-17. In the final quarter, Ottoville outscored Paulding 8-2, sealing the win at 34-19.
Myers, Sinn lead WT over Pirates
It was senior night at the ‘Palace’ Tuesday night as the Wayne Trace Lady Raiders rolled to a 54-16 win over visiting Continental in non-league girls basketball action.
The senior trio of Harper Myers, Tianna Sinn and Kathleen Stoller combined to lead the red, white and blue to the victory as Wayne Trace improved to 16-4 overall on the season in its final home regular season game.
Myers recorded a dozen points, six rebounds and five steals for the red, white and blue while Sinn posted ten points, three rebounds, two assists and four steals. Stoller chipped in five markers and a rebound as well for Wayne Trace.
Wayne Trace dominated from the opening tip to the finish as the Lady Raiders jumped out to a 17-3 advantage at the end of one quarter. The red, white and blue added sixteen markers in the second period in widening the gap to 33-6 at the halfway point of the contest.
The third quarter was much of the same with Wayne Trace picking up 16 more points compared to four on the Pirates’ side, expanding the lead to 49-10 at the end of three periods.
Lexi Moore posted 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists and five steals as well for the Lady Raiders with Caroline Winans totaling four points, four rebounds and three assists. Careen Winans picked up three points, three rebounds and two steals while Caitlin Mead and Nicole Gerschutz scored two points apiece.
Ava Sheeter topped Continental with eight points while Kenzie Searfoss, Macie Clemens, Morgan Shock and Laney Nienberg all recorded two markers apiece. Shock and Kamryn Searfoss both grabbed three rebounds for the Lady Pirates while Kenzie Searfoss dished out two assists and Kamryn Searfoss had two steals. Continental falls to 3-17 overall on the season.
Wayne Trace returns to action on Saturday as the Lady Raiders host Riverdale in Division VI tournament play at 2:00 p.m.
