PANDORA – Pandora-Gilboa dialed long distance.
Leipsic did not have an answer.
P-G connected 11 times behind the 3-point line, en route to a 56-40 victory over visiting Leipsic in a key Putnam County League boys basketball matchup at Pandora-Gilboa on Monday.
Ryan Johnson and Aiden Harris each had 13 points to lead P-G (5-2, 2-0 PCL). Both Johnson and Harris had three 3-pointers on the night. Johnson also pulled down 10 rebounds and had three steals. Dillan Krohn had 10 points, including two 3-pointers. Colin Harris had eight points, including two shots behind the arc.
“I think it was important to get off to a decent start. … We did that,” P-G head coach Mike Lee said. “Not on every one of those possessions – but a lot of them, we went inside and then right back outside, again. We work on that a lot. Hopefully, it carries over. It’s good to get off to a good start on your home floor.”
Mason Brandt (6-foot-4, Sr.) led Leipsic (3-3, 1-1 PCL) and all scorers with 22 points. Brandt also came away with nine rebounds and three steals.
“Our job was to contain him (Brandt). … You’re not going to control him,” Lee said. “He’s an outstanding basketball player. We tried to rotate as many people as we possibly could on him.”
Paul Maag added eight points and four boards for Leipsic.
P-G jumped out to a 17-8 lead by the end of the first quarter, thanks to five 3-pointers.
The Rockets shot well in the first eight minutes, connecting on 6 of 10 shots from the field. Johnson had two 3-pointers in the opening stanza for P-G.
Leipsic, on the other hand, was 4 of 13 from the floor.
Both teams wanted to push the pace.
By the halftime break, P-G had extended its lead to 12, 29-17.
The Rockets continued to shoot well. For the half, P-G was 10 of 21 from the field. Leipsic was 6 of 21 from the floor.
However, Leipsic’s defensive pressure helped cause seven P-G turnovers in the second quarter, after the Rockets turned it over just two times in the opening stanza.
P-G settled down, and ended the game with 15 turnovers. Leipsic turned it over 16 times on the night.
“When they start pressing up on us, that’s where we have to get better at putting the ball on the floor, but staying within the confines of what we need to do,” Lee said. “Ultimately, teams have to guard us on the perimeter. It’s more than just one or two kids.”
Both Johnson and Harris scored eight points in the first half for P-G, including two 3-pointers each.
Brandt led the Vikings with seven points, six rebounds and three steals in the first half.
In the third quarter, P-G answered most of Leipsic’s runs.
At the end of the third quarter, the Rockets led 41-34.
In the fourth quarter, the Rockets put the game away by connecting on 7 of 9 shots from the free throw line.
Leipsic really struggled at the offensive end in the final eight minutes, hitting just 2 of 15 shots from the field.
For the game, Leipsic shot 29 percent from the floor. P-G connected on 50 percent of its field goal attempts.
P-G held a 29-22 edge on the boards.
“That’s a work in progress for us each week,” Lee said in reference to his team’s rebounding. “As you can see, we’re not very big. We’re not very physical. We have exhibited some toughness here and there; and that has to continue for us to compete with the bigger and stronger teams.”
High School
Girls Basketball
Shawnee 66, Lima Senior 13
Shawnee’s Zoe Best scored 22 points and made four steals and Grace Freiberger had 11 points and five assists. Zoe Smith had eight points and four rebounds.
Van Wert 56, Delphos St. John’s 26
VAN WERT — Van Wert’s Sofi Houg scored 24 points and Erin Shaufelberger added 16. For Delphos, Kierstyn Klaus scored 11 points.
Van Wert improves to 6-3 on the year.
Continental 31, Perry 27
CONTINENTAL — Continental’s Bryn Tegenkamp scored 11 points. Perry’s Mary Hoersten scored 7 points. Continental improves to 1-6.
Parkway 56, Celina 19
ROCKFORD — Parkway’s Paige Williamson scored 17 points and Gabrielle Stober added 14 points. Alison Hughes scored 11 points and snared 20 rebounds. For Celina, Kyilla Billingsley had 10 points.
Spencerville 54, Fort Jennings 21
SPENCERVILLE — Spencerville’s Lily Goecke scored 18 points and Gabi Croft chipped in 11.
College
Arlington product honored
Bluffton University junior Morgan Smith has been named the HCAC Player of the Week for her work in a rout of Mount St. Joseph on Saturday in the Sommer Center.
Smith led the Beavers with her first collegiate double-double of 18 points and 11 boards, both career highs, in a convincing 64-43 win over MSJ on Saturday! She was 8-of-13 from the field and chipped in with a pair of assists.
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