Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
This roundup includes games played Jan. 5-11.
Genoa (10-0, 5-0 NBC) continued its undefeated start to the season, reeling off three more wins over Otsego (74-35), Swanton (72-31), and Maumee (68-37). The Comets have now matched the program’s best start to a season since the 2018-19 team had an undefeated regular season.
In a battle of undefeated teams, Genoa knocked off Otsego by seizing control with a 19-7 second quarter before exploding for 27 points in the third quarter. Walter Plantz had a game-best 31 points, while Ty Asman (12), Ryan Routson (11), and Myles Mollenhauer (8) added 31 combined. Mollenhauer scored all of his points in the big third quarter, where Plantz added 10.
Plantz registered a game-high 24 points against Swanton, and he did all his damage over the first three quarters before sitting in the fourth. Routson added 14 points, while Mollenhauer (12), and Jax Magnone (10) also reached double figures. Asman (7) and Logan Routson (5) combined for 12 more.
The final game of the week featured 23 more points from Plantz, while the trio of Ryan Routson (13), Asman (12), and Jacob Woollard (11) combined for 36.
Clay (9-1, 5-0 NLL) also continued to roll, as Lionel Armstead’s squad dispatched Findlay (59-37) and Napoleon (63-29) in easy fashion. Records are unclear, but the team’s 9-1 record is potentially the program’s best start to a season since Charles “Bud” Felhaber led the Eagles to an 18-0 regular season record in 1974-75.
Clay scored more points (40) in the middle two quarters against Findlay than they allowed the whole game (37). Antwoine Mister had a game-high 15 points, while Quimari Buffaloe (10) and Zee Usrey-Martin (9) combined for 29. Grant Oberdick added eight more as nine players scored overall.
Oberdick and Mister added 14 points apiece to lead Clay in the win over Napoleon. Usrey-Martin (8), Max Morrison (7), Buffaloe (7), and Carson Vincent (6) added a combined 28 points.
Gibsonburg (9-2, 5-1 SBC) continued its best start to a season since the 2014-15 campaign with wins over Lakota (43-40), Woodmore (67-36), and Mohawk (66-37).
After a 13-point first half, the Golden Bears outscored Lakota 30-26 in the second half to produce the week’s first win. Xander Zimmerman and Reece Walby each scored a team-best 11 points. Walby added four assists and four rebounds. Aiden Morant added seven points, while Hunter Wasserman had six points and seven rebounds, and Jesus Rodriguez contributed five boards.
After the two teams combined for 34 points in the opening frame, Gibsonburg held Woodmore to single digits in each of the final three quarters to produce the win over Woodmore. Morant had a game-best 16 points along with six rebounds and three assists. Wasserman had a double-double with 14 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists. Luke Foster had 12 points and five rebounds, while Zimmerman had 11 points and seven rebounds. Walby added eight points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
The Golden Bears completed the week with another big win, taking down Mohawk behind 29 points combined from Wasserman (15) and Zimmerman (14). Wasserman finished off his second straight double-double with 13 rebounds and three steals. Morant contributed nine points and five steals, while Foster (six points, seven rebounds, four assists), Walby (six points, six rebounds), and Grant Smith (five points, six rebounds, three steals) also contributed.
Lake (9-2, 3-2 NBC) opened the week with a non-league victory over Maumee Valley (64-58) before closing with an NBC win over Fostoria (74-52). Their start is the program’s best since the 2014-15 team opened 13-2.
The win over Maumee Valley featured a balanced offensive performance, led by 18 points from Preston Snyder. Jace Ayers added 15 points, while Xavier Scott (12) and Carter Behlmer (11) combined for 23 points. Jack Sobczak rounded out the scoring with eight.
Snyder had 18 more points against Fostoria, while Behlmer joined him with 18, as well, behind a trio of 3-pointers in the final quarter. In fact, Lake had 27 points from long distance as a team. Scott added 13 points, and Sobczak had nine.
Woodmore (5-6, 3-2 SBC) dropped a pair of games to Tiffin Calvert (76-65) and Gibsonburg (67-36).
Tiffin Calvert outscored Woodmore 40-28 in the middle two quarters, which proved detrimental to the Wildcats, who were led by 27 points from Carson Slates and 11 points apiece from Gavin Donley and Brandon Kayser. Slates scored 16 of his points in the second half, including three of his four field goals from long distance.
Woodmore was outscored 48-21 over the final three quarters in the loss to Gibsonburg despite 17 points from Slates.
Oak Harbor (2-7, 2-3 NBC) snapped a seven-game losing streak with a win over Rossford (54-39) in the team’s lone game of the week. Carson Steinbrick poured in a game-best 23 points behind seven 3-pointers and a pair of free throws. The Rockets scored 30 points as a team from long distance, which included a pair from Braxtin Witt, who had nine points. Brayden Ayres also had nine points. Fulton Krupp had the other 3-pointer, while Zach Hallett added eight points.
Cardinal Stritch (4-7, 3-1 TAAC) split a pair of games on the week, opening with a loss to Rogers (73-28) before knocking off Toledo Christian (54-50) in a league outing.
Despite the loss to Rogers, Stritch had a balanced offensive performance with points from Dennis Clark (7), JoVon Burton (6), Erick Graham (6), Xavier Blackman (5), and Rasean Gordon (4).
Graham paced the Cardinals with a game-high 24 points in the hard-fought win over Toledo Christian, which included 13 in the fourth quarter. Blackman added 12 points, while Gordon had eight. Down 24-16 at the half, Stritch produced the win behind a strong second half that featured 16 points combined in the third quarter from Blackman (6), Gordon (6), and Graham (4).
Eastwood (5-3, 2-2 NBC) did not see any action during the week.
Northwood (2-9, 1-5 SBC) lost a pair of games to New Riegel (61-47) and St. Mary Central Catholic (48-28). Stats weren’t reported.
Waite (1-10, 0-4 City League) went 1-2 on the week, falling to Ottawa Hills (68-52) and Start (87-36) before defeating Vanlue (100-5). Stats weren’t reported.
