Girls basketball notebook: Crestview hands Jefferson first NWC loss

DELPHOS — The race for the NWC crown is officially a crowded one.

On Thursday night, Crestview made sure they stayed in contention with a 52-41 statement win over Delphos Jefferson in a matchup that featured the league’s co-players of the year from last season.

In the final matchup of their storied careers, Cali Gregory out-scored Lyv Lindeman 19-15, but most importantly, Crestview handed Jefferson their first league loss since the 2020-21 season.

“They’re just good competitors. That’s why they were co-NWC players of the year,” said Crestview coach Mark Gregory. “They’ve been going at each other since they were in fifth grade. Back when they played at the YMCA we knew that it’d be a battle between them for a long time. I’m honestly sad to see them play against each other for the last time.”

Crestview improves to 15-2 on the year and 5-1 in the NWC. Delphos Jefferson falls to 14-2 and 4-1 in conference play.

There are now four teams with one loss in the league standings, a group that includes Crestview, Delphos Jefferson, Lincolnview, and Columbus Grove.

“Our backs were against the wall; just like Allen East had their backs against the wall when we played them at our place,” Gregory said. “I think that’s kind of how it was tonight. I told the girls that this was the situation we were in and I asked them how we were going to respond. I thought our response was a good one.”

The only point in the game where Crestview wasn’t in control came early in the first quarter. At the 6:08 mark, Cali Gregory picked up her second foul and subbed out.

Jefferson responded by putting the Knights into an 11-1 hole, forcing Gregory to re-enter the game in the midst of foul trouble.

“We took advantage of it (foul trouble), but Cali didn’t stay out long,” Delphos Jefferson coach Denise Lindeman said. Earlier in the game our shots fell. Our girls gave everything they had tonight. I thought their effort was phenomenal.

“They’re a great team. Cali Gregory is awesome, then you add in Myia Etzler and they’re very difficult to stop.”

Crestview trailed 14-10 at the end of the first but took a 24-23 lead into the break on a late layup from Kaci Gregory.

Using a high-low attack with Gregory and Etzler that Jefferson had no answer for, Crestview won the third quarter 20-12 to go up 44-35. Their lead grew as high as 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Cali Gregory paired her 19 points with 11 boards. Myia Etzler also recorded a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Winning on the run

HARROD – Allen East likes to get out in transition.

However, with Allen East playing three games this week, coach Aaron Montgomery wasn’t sure how much his players had left in their tanks.

The Mustangs proved they had enough to get the job done on Thursday when they faced Leipsic.

Allen East jumped out early on visiting Leipsic and never looked back, en route to a convincing 39-14 victory in a Northwest Conference matchup.

With the win, Allen East improved to 14-2 overall and 3-2 in the NWC. Leipsic fell to 7-8 in all games played and 1-5 in conference action.

Rilynn Jones led Allen East and all scorers with 13 points. Jones also had seven rebounds and seven steals. Savana Brooks had eight points, four rebounds, and one block for the Mustangs.

“They’re a physical bunch,” Montgomery said about Leipsic. “We knew we had to bring it on the defensive end. We knew our legs probably wouldn’t be there with three games this week, so we wanted to hone in at the defensive end and see if we could create some turnovers, or some long rebounds so we could get out in transition. That’s what we do best. We just wanted to force a lot of turnovers and see if we could get out early, so we could kind of slow the game down (as the game progressed).”

For the game, Leah Kirkendall and Jazelle Perez each scored five points for Leipsic. Kirkendall came away with 10 boards.

Allen East won the battle on the boards, 40-32.

“We want to win all the loose balls,” Montgomery said. “If the ball is on the floor, you’re going to see at least one or two of our players on the floor. Our girls embrace that mentality.… We want to outwork everybody that we play.”

Keller’s career night

LIMA – From start to finish visiting Spencerville controlled Tuesday night’s non-conference clash at Msgr. E.C. Herr Gymnasium.

In last year’s meeting, a 56-24 win for the Bearcats, Heidi Keller connected on seven three-point field goals to etch her name into Spencerville’s record books for most threes made in a single game.

Keller outdid herself on Tuesday night by knocking down eight triples, including five in the third quarter, breaking her own record and setting a new career high of 30 points.

“I was just feeling it tonight,” Keller said. “We have been working hard on both ends. My teammates have been giving me great looks and I’ve been able to knock them down.”

Out of the gate, both Keller and Briley Cook led the charge, combining for 23 points in the first quarter. Spencerville (9-3) had a consistent cushion in their 63-18 win over Lima Central Catholic (2-15).

Cook continued her strong freshman campaign by recording 10 points in the first quarter, two more in the second, and six in the third to set her new career high of 18 points. She also controlled the boards for the Cats with 11 rebounds.

“The last two weeks we have struggled to do what we want to do. In practice, we have talked about what we need to change,” Spencerville head coach Greg Ekis said. “We want to run the floor, communicate, and spread the ball and we did that really well tonight.”

Big scorers

Several area girls basketball players topped the 15-point plateau in recent games:

• Grace Freiberger of Shawnee set a new career high with 37 points and broke the school record of 1,467 career points in a win over Lima Senior.

• Ava Huffman put together a 28-point performance in Pandora-Gilboa’s 10-point win over Elmood.

• Heidi Keller of Spencerville had 27 points, including six threes in a win over Riverdale.

• Lauryn Auchmuty of Columbus Grove hit six threes and finished the night with 26 points against Fort Jennings. She added 17 points in a win over Spencerville.

• Raegan Hutchison of Waynesfield-Goshen scored a game-high 25 points in a loss to Botkins. She added 16 points in a win over Elgin.

• Tatelyn Faraglia of Waynesfield-Goshen had 24 points in a win over Elgin. She added 15 points in a loss to Botkins.

• Lyv Lindeman scored 23 points in Delphos Jefferson’s 11-point win over Wayne Trace.

• Savana Brooks paced Allen East with 22 points in a runaway victory over Celina.

• Mary Hoersten scored 21 points, leading Perry to a win over Cory Rawson.

• Reese Rable of St. Marys led all scorers with 21 points in a win over 9th-ranked Marion Local.

• Katie Kaufman of Ottawa-Glandorf set a new career high with 20 points against Ottoville.

• Rilynn Jones paced Allen East with 20 points in a win over Tinora.

• Olivia Burkhart paced Ada with 19 points in a non-league win over Ridgemont.

• Maggie Pothast scored 18 points in a losing effort against Columbus Grove.

• Ella Jacobs of St. Marys had 18 points in a win over Marion Local.

• Liv Nolting of Kenton scored 17 points in a win over Wapakoneta.

• Anne Oliver scored 17 points, grabbed seven boards, and dished out six assists, leading Bath to a 20-point victory over St. John’s.

• Elisabeth Good had a game-high 17 points, leading Wapakoneta past Bellefontaine.

• Anya James of Lima Senior scored 16 points and recorded seven steals in a win over Marion Harding.

• Clara Goecke of Spencerville tallied 15 points in a 14-point win over Riverdale.

• Anna Conley of Ada contributed 15 points in a win over Ridgemont.

• Claire Foust of Bath had 15 points in a win over St. John’s.

GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDINGS

Western Buckeye League

`WBL`All

Ottawa-Glandorf`6-0`16-1

Bath`5-1`10-4

St. Marys`4-2`9-7

Shawnee`4-2`7-8

Kenton`3-3`7-9

Wapakoneta`3-3`7-10

Elida`2-4`5-11

Van Wert`2-4`4-13

Celina`1-5`6-11

Defiance`0-6`0-15

Midwest Athletic Conference

`MAC`All

Marion Local`5-2`12-5

Parkway`4-2`11-4

St. Henry`4-2`10-4

Minster`4-2`11-5

Versailles`4-2`11-6

New Bremen`3-3`8-8

Ft. Recovery`2-4`5-11

Coldwater`2-4`5-10

New Knoxville`1-5`2-15

St. John’s`1-5`4-13

Northwest Conference

`NWC`All

Crestview`5-1`15-2

Columbus Grove`5-1`13-4

Delphos Jefferson`4-1`14-2

Lincolnview`4-1`10-7

Allen East`3-2`14-2

Spencerville`1-4`9-7

Bluffton`1-4`7-9

Leipsic`1-5`7-8

Ada`0-5`6-10

Northwest Central Conference

`NWCC`All

Perry`5-0`12-4

Ridgedale`5-0`10-6

Waynesfield-Goshen`4-1`8-8

Cory-Rawson`4-2`6-10

Elgin`3-2`11-5

Upper Scioto Valley`1-4`5-12

Ridgemont`1-4`2-13

Hardin Northern`1-5`2-14

North Baltimore`0-6`1-14

Putnam County League

`PCL`All

Columbus Grove`5-1`13-4

Ottoville`5-1`13-4

Kalida`2-1`10-5

Miller City`3-2`11-4

Leipsic`3-2`8-8

Pandora – Gilboa`1-3`6-10

Fort Jennings`1-5`3-15

Continental`0-5`0-15

Toledo City Athletic League

`TCAL`All

Rogers`5-1`9-7

Start`5-2`6-8

Scott`4-3`9-7

Bowsher`3-2`8-8

Lima Senior`3-3`10-9

Woodward`2-5`4-8

Waite`0-6`2-11

RESULTS AND SCHEDULE

Tuesday

Bath 47, St. John’s 27

Spencerville 63, LCC 18

Carey 52, Kenton 45

Crestview 71, Van Wert 15

St, Marys 48, Marion Local 45

Wapakoneta 37, Bellefontaine 31

Allen East 56, Tinora 38

Delphos Jefferson 43, Wayne Trace 32

Kalida 41, Ayersville 35

Perry 27, Lehman Catholic 26

Thursday

Ottawa-Glandorf 59, Van Wert 26

Bath 41, Celina 27

Perry 45, Cory Rawson 35

Elida 49, Defiance 28

Waynesfield-Goshen 66, Elgin 42

Pandora-Gilboa 46, Elmwood 36

Ottoville 74, Fort Jennings 31

Kenton 51, Wapakoneta 39

Lincolnview 47, Bluffton 40

St. Marys 51, Shawnee 25

Columbus Grove 56, Spencerville 40

Versailles 62, Delphos St. John’s 17

St. Henry 41, New Bremen 30

Parkway 47, Coldwater 36

Minster 51, New Knoxville 29

Today

Bath at Fort Loramie, 1:30 p.m.

Bryan at Elida, 1:30 p.m.

Coldwater at Spencerville, noon

Delphos Jefferson at Ottoville, 12:30 p.m.

Miller City at Kalida, 1:30 p.m.

Pandora-Gilboa at Continental, noon

Riverdale at Bluffton, 1:30 p.m.

Toledo Central Catholic at Ottawa-Glandorf, 12:30 p.m.

Vanlue at Waynesfield-Goshen, 12:30 p.m.

Monday, Jan.29

LCC at Bath, 7:30 p.m.

Cardinal Stritch at Pandora-Gilboa, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 30

Kalida at Spencerville, 6:30 p.m.

Elida at Ottoville, 7 p.m.

Waynesfield-Goshen at Arlington, 7 p.m.

Ada at Upper Scioto Valley, 7:30 p.m.

McComb at Columbus Grove, 7:30 p.m.

Delphos St. John’s at Lincolnview, 7:30 p.m.

Fort Jennings at Ayersville, 7:30 p.m.

Miller City at Fairview, 7:30 p.m.

Shawnee at Crestview, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 31

Rogers at Lima Senior, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 1

St. John’s at Minster, 7 p.m.

Ada at Crestview, 7:30 p.m.

Allen East at Lincolnview, 7:30 p.m.

Bath at Defiance, 7:30 p.m.

Bluffton at Spencerville, 7:30 p.m.

Delphos Jefferson at Leipsic, 7:30 p.m.

Elida at Wapakoneta, 7:30 p.m.

Ottawa-Glandorf at Celina, 7:30 p.m.

Pandora-Gilboa at Liberty-Benton, 7:30 p.m.

Perry at Waynesfield-Goshen, 7:30 p.m.

Van Wert at Shawnee, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3

Bath at St. Henry, 1 p.m.

Columbus Grove at Arlington, 1 p.m.

Wayne Trace at Miller City, 1 p.m.

Perry at Allen East, 1:30 p.m.

Pandora-Gilboa at Kalida, 1:30 p.m.

Ottoville at Leipsic, 1:30 p.m.

BOYS BASKETBALL RESULTS AND SCHEDULE

Tuesday

Lima Senior 76, Shawnee 56

Delphos St. John’s 54, Parkway 41

Bath 66, Columbus Grove 61

Columbus Grove is now 7-5 on the year.

Arlington 78, Ada 24

Upper Scioto Valley 41, Arcadia 36

Riverdale 64, Waynesfield-Goshen 58

LCC 55, Celina 40

Cory-Rawson 56, Elgin 44

Minster 74, Ansonia 48

Ridgemont 68, Temple Christian 46

Archbold 54, Defiance 43

Wednesday

Perry 50, Hardin-Northern 49

Friday

Games ended after The Lima News deadline. Find scores, game stories, photos and more on LimaScores.com.

Allen East at Leipsic, 7 p.m.

Bath at Celina, 7:30 p.m.

Bluffton at Lincolnview, 7:30 p.m.

Columbus Grove at Spencerville, 7:30 p.m.

Delphos Jefferson at Crestview, 7:30 p.m.

Elida at Defiance, 7:30 p.m.

Ottoville at Fort Jennings, 7:30 p.m.

Pandora-Gilboa at Elmwood, 7:30 p.m.

Perry at Cory-Rawson, 7:30 p.m.

Rogers at Lima Senior, 7:30 p.m.

St. Marys at Shawnee, 7:30 p.m.

Upper Scioto Valley at Temple Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Van Wert at Ottawa-Glandorf, 7:30 p.m.

Versailles at Delphos St. John’s, 7 p.m.

Wapakoneta at Kenton, 7:30 p.m.

Waynesfield-Goshen at Elgin, 7:30 p.m.

Today

Ayersville at Delphos Jefferson, 7:30 p.m.

Berlin Hiland at Ottawa-Glandorf, 6:30 p.m.

Columbus Grove at Liberty-Benton, 6:30 p.m.

Delphos St. John’s at Spencerville, 6 p.m.

Hardin Northern at Allen East, 7:30 p.m.

Kalida at Leipsic, 7:30 p.m.

Miller City at Wayne Trace, 7:30 p.m.

New Knoxville at Fort Jennings, 7:30 p.m.

Temple Christian at Vanlue, 6:30 p.m.

Wapakoneta at St. Henry, 6:30 p.m.

Waynesfield-Goshen at Minster, 7:30 p.m

Tuesday, Jan. 30

Perry at Bath, 7:30 p.m.

Wapakoneta at LCC, 7:30 p.m.

Mansfield Senior at Lima Senior, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 2

Delphos St. John’s at Minster 7 p.m.

Liberty-Benton at Pandora-Gilboa 7:15 p.m.

Crestview at Ada, 7:30 p.m.

Lincolnview at Allen East, 7:30 p.m.

Defiance at Bath, 7:30 p.m.

Spencerville at Bluffton, 7:30 p.m.

Leipsic at Delphos Jefferson, 7:30 p.m.

Wapakoneta at Elida, 7:30 p.m.

Miller City at Fort Jennings, 7:30 p.m.

Kalida at Ottoville, 7:30 p.m.

Celina at Ottawa-Glandorf. 7:30 p.m.

Waynesfield-Goshen at Perry, 7:30 p.m.

Shawnee at Van Wert, 7:30 p.m.

Temple Christian at Hardin Northern, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3

Lincolnview at Delphos St. John’s, 3 p.m.

Bath at Bryan, 4:30 p.m.

New Knoxville at Spencerville, 6 p.m.

Ada at North Baltimore, 6 p.m.

Pandora-Gilboa at Bluffton, 6:30 p.m.

Continental at Columbus Grove, 6:30 p.m.

Miller City at Riverdale, 7 p.m.

Kenton at Allen East, 7:30 p.m.

Delphos Jefferson at Waynesfield-Goshen, 7:30 p.m.

Fort Jennings at Holgate, 7:30 p.m.

Kalida at Wayne Trace, 7:30 p.m.

Ottoville at Paulding, 7:30 p.m.

Ada at North Baltimore, 8 p.m.