Spencerville’s Carter Sudhoff (left) and Columbus Grove’s Tadd Koch compete for a loose ball during Friday night’s game at Columbus Grove. See more high school basketball photos at LimaScores.com.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
COLUMBUS GROVE — Veteran Spencerville boys head basketball coach Kevin Sensabaugh did not like the pace his team was playing in the first half of Friday’s key Northwest Conference matchup against Columbus Grove.
His players responded.
In the second half, Spencerville shifted to a much higher gear and pulled away from Columbus Grove for a convincing 61-37 victory at Columbus Grove.
With the win, Spencerville remains undefeated in the NWC at 4-0. Overall, the Bearcats are 13-1. Columbus Grove slips to 5-7 overall and 3-2 in the NWC.
At the halftime break, Spencerville led 27-26.
In the second half, the Bearcats pushed the tempo and outscored Columbus Grove 34-11, the rest of the way.
“It didn’t feel like our pace was very good in the first half,” Sensabaugh said. “We just didn’t seem like we had a lot of energy at the offensive end. We didn’t move the ball very well. We didn’t screen very well. We didn’t run up the court very well. … We just didn’t do a lot of things well. I really don’t know why.
“But in the second half, I felt like that was the pace that we wanted to play. We turned up the defense a little bit in the second half.”
Josh Henline led Spencerville and all scorers with 25 points, including two 3-pointers. The 6-foot-2 senior guard also had three steals at the defensive end. Carter Sudhoff, a 6-6 junior center, had 10 points, five blocks and three rebounds. Freshman Owen Sensabaugh, the head coach’s son, had nine points on three 3-pointers. Dylan Smith added eight points, six assists and three steals for the Bearcats.
Coach Sensabaugh points to Henline as the main cog of his team.
“Josh (Henline) is just a heck of a player. … We’re spoiled,” Sensabaugh said. “We’ve had him for four years. When we need to make plays, he makes plays. He’s a leader with his voice. … He does a great job in that area. He’s a very good basketball player.”
Sophomore Kyle Hopkins led the way for Columbus Grove with 11 points, including two 3-pointers. Zach Reynolds added eight points, including a perfect 4 of 4 from the free throw line for the Bulldogs.
Early on, Columbus Grove had the upper hand.
Columbus Grove jumped out to a 7-0 lead to start the contest. Trenton Barraza scored four points in that run for the Bulldogs.
Spencerville responded.
The Bearcats battled back. By the end of the first quarter the score was knotted at 12 each.
Henline and Smith each scored four first-quarter points for Spencerville.
It was a tightly-contested second quarter. Spencerville slipped into the halftime break with the one-point lead.
Hopkins kept the Bulldogs close, as he connected twice behind the 3-point line. Hopkins led Columbus Grove in the first half with eight points.
Columbus Grove was a perfect 9 of 9 shooting from the free throw line in the first half. Zach Reynolds was 4 of 4 from the stripe.
For the game, Columbus Grove was 10 of 10 from the charity stripe.
In the first half, Spencerville was 11 of 24 from the field for 48-percent shooting. Columbus Grove connected on 6 of 26 from the floor for 23 percent.
In the third quarter, Spencerville made its run.
The Bearcats opened the second half on a 10-2 run to push out to a 37-28 advantage. Henline tallied eight points in that spurt.
Spencerville extended its lead to 42-30 by the third stop.
“We started to trap a little bit in the third quarter; and it did speed them up,” Sensabaugh said. “It kind of got them out of sorts. Then, we got some easy baskets in transition. It kind of opened up the flood gates a little bit.”
Columbus Grove committed 20 turnovers on the night, while Spencerville turned the ball over just eight times.
The Bearcats outscored the Bulldogs 19-7 in the final stanza.
Spencerville was 14 of 24 from the field in the second half. The Bearcats ended the game, shooting 53 percent. Columbus Grove ended the night, shooting just 24 percent from the floor.
“We needed it (the win),” said Sensabaugh. “It’s tough to win on the road in league play. So, I’m glad we got a win.”
Mark Altstaetter wrote this story for The Lima News. Reach The Lima News sports department at 567-242-0451.
