NWOAL HOOPS … Wauseon senior Trey Parsons tries to find room to operate along the baseline. (PHOTO BY RENEA KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
SWANTON (January 19, 2024) – Despite an early lead, the Bulldogs were unable to hold off Wauseon in an at times back-and-forth game that left the Indians up double digits in Swanton Friday night.
The Indians struck first with a pair of baskets from junior Nicholas Stinner, who would go one to be one of the top scorers for Wauseon.
A three-pointer from Bulldog freshman Evan Reinhard was swiftly matched by one from Indian senior Connor Keefer, bringing the score to 7-3.
A pair of trips to the line for Swanton 6’10” junior Charlie Wood netted a pair of free throws followed shortly by a self rebound and basket for his first four points, tying the game and setting the stage for him to outscore everyone else on the court.
A three-pointer from junior Logan Young gave Swanton its first lead of the game, with Wood putting in another basket to extend the Swanton lead to 12-7.
Both the Indians and the Bulldogs put in another basket, courtesy of Stinner and Young, respectively, before sophomore Brady O’Shea sank a buzzer-beating three-point shot to put Swanton up 17-9 at the end of the first quarter.
After a layup from Wood, Wauseon senior Tyson Rodriguez caught fire, sinking an uncontested trio of treys. Wood made another basket before Rodriguez scored his fourth three, tying the game at 21.
Yet another basket from Wood put Swanton back in the lead, but a trio of free throws by Keefer after being fouled by Reinhard put the Indians in the lead.
A Wauseon basket from senior Trey Parsons and a pair of free throws from Young made it 26-25 Wauseon at halftime.
If Rodriguez caught fire in the second quarter, the Indian bench caught fire in the third. Stinner put in a free throw and a basket, matched by a layup by Bulldog junior Adam Lemon and a pair of baskets from Wood, to make it 31-30 Swanton, before Wauseon went on a 14-point run that would extend into the beginning of the final quarter.
With no successful shots by Swanton to answer, the Indians saw a pair of treys from senior Braden Vajen, a pair of free throws and a basket for Rodriguez, and a layup from junior Nathaniel Stinner before the end of the third quarter, and another long-distance layup from Rodriguez to start the fourth and bring the score to 44-31.
A pair of baskets from Wood would wrap up a total of 20 points for him and end the scoring for Swanton.
Rodriguez would manage another free throw, and a basket from Nicholas Stinner would put the final score at 47-35.
WAUSEON (47) – Parsons 2; Rodriguez 19; Vajen 6; Keefer 6; Ni. Stinner 12; Gype 0; Na. Stinner 2; Totals: 9-6-8 – 47
SWANTON (35) – O’Shea 3; Young 7; Ruiz 0; Rico 0; Reinhard 3; Lemon 2; Wood 20; Totals: 11-3-4 – 35
WAUSEON 9 17 16 5 – 47
SWANTON 17 8 6 4 – 35
JUNIOR VARSITY: Wauseon 49, Swanton 16