Ottoville’s Michael Turnwald looks to split two Parkway defenders on his way to the basket Friday night in Ottoville.
Nate Reynolds | The Lima News
OTTOVILLE – Ottoville wanted to set the tone early in Friday’s Division IV boys basketball sectional final against Parkway at L.W. Heckman Gymnasium.
However, it took a little while before the Big Green separated from the Panthers.
After a slow start in the first half, Ottoville pulled away in the second half for a 49-36 victory over Parkway to notch a sectional title.
Win the win, Ottoville (17-6) will face Pandora-Gilboa (21-2) in a district semifinal this coming Tuesday at the Elida Fieldhouse with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. Pandora-Gilboa defeated Delphos Jefferson in a sectional final on Friday, 58-37.
Parkway ended its season with an overall record of 13-11.
“It took us a little bit to get going,” Ottoville coach Keith Utendorf said. “There were some offensive rebounds they (Parkway) got and extra possessions. One of our biggest keys in every single game is (controlling) the glass (rebounds). I thought after the first few minutes, we did a really great job of making sure we secured the basketball against their physicality and their pressure. Once we got it and made sure we secured it, then we could play at our pace. So, credit to our guys for doing that.”
Despite getting off to a slow start on Friday, Ottoville led the entire 32 minutes.
Ottoville led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter and 22-12 at halftime.
Ottoville then came out of the break and quickly pulled out to a 37-21 advantage by the third stop.
For the game, Landon Horstman led Ottoville and all scorers with 16 points. Horstman came away with nine rebounds and three steals. Michael Turnwald scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Turnwald scored 11 of those points in the first half, including all seven of Ottoville’s first-quarter points. Keaton Schnipke had 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists for the Big Green.
Utendorf pointed to Horstman’s second-half performance as a key to Friday’s win.
“It’s been amazing because I’ve kind of wondered that in the first half why he (Horstman) hasn’t really got going (offensively) in like the last two or three games,” Utendorf said. “But in the second half, he’s been an absolute beast.
This time there wasn’t any magic to it. He just decided it was his time to go. When he decides that, we’re usually a pretty good basketball team.”
Trevor Stearns led Parkway with 12 points, including 4 of 4 shooting from the free-throw line.
Parkway connected on 27 percent of its field-goal attempts on the night, while Ottoville shot 48 percent from the floor.
Parkway turned the ball over 13 times, while Ottoville committed 15 turnovers.
Ottoville held a 34-24 edge on the boards.
“We did a really good job of pressuring them, forcing turnovers, and getting some easy buckets,” Horstman said. “I know that I always have to hit the boards to help get the team going.”
Added Turnwald, “We knew we had to get out of the gates early. In the second half, Landon (Horstman) kept up the energy. He kind of took the game over from there.”
Utendorf said his team utilized its strengths in the second half of Friday’s contest.
“Our guys, really after the second quarter, really stepped up and demanded it (the ball) inside and finished. We got to the foul line, and that’s where you can decide the game. If you can get extra possessions, get to the foul line – those are huge things. I thought that was the key difference in the first half and then moving forward into the second (half).”
Utendorf was especially pleased about the contributions from his bench on Friday.
“Tonight, we played nine or 10 guys. I don’t know if we’ll play that many moving forward, but we got contributions from all that played. Anytime you can get contributions like that, it’s usually a very good thing.”
Ottoville 49, Parkway 36
Score by quarters:
Parkway 3 9 9 15 – 36
Ottoville 7 15 15 12 – 49
PARKWAY
Trevor Stearns 12, Devon Crouch 5, Fletcher Smith 3, Wyatt Carpenter 4, Jacob Triplet 2, Caiden Berry 3, Trent Rollins 7. Totals: 12-10-36.
OTTOVILLE
Alex Leis 3, Adam Brinkman 2, Landon Horstman 16, Jeremy Hoersten 1, Michael Turnwald 15, Ashton Miller 2, Keaton Schnipke 10. Totals: 19-7-49.
3-pointers made: Parkway – Devon Crouch 1, Trent Rollins 1; Ottoville – Alex Leis 1, Michael Turnwald 3.
Records: Parkway 13-11; Ottoville 17-6
