BBC CLASH … CJ Fidler (above) recorded 24 points as Montpelier stayed undefeated in the BBC after beating North Central, 69-54.
PHOTOS BY REBEKAH DELL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
ON THE ATTACK … North Central’s Jackson Poynter makes a strong move to the bucket in Friday night’s BBC contest with Montpelier.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
PIONEER (January 30, 2026) – With sole possession of first place in the Buckeye Border Conference boys basketball standings on the line, Montpelier faced a very tough obstacle in North Central who had visions of pulling off a huge upset victory before a capacity crowd in the Eagles’ gymnasium.
North Central (8-10, 2-3 BBC) managed to keep pace with its Williams County archrivals for nearly the entire game until Montpelier eventually pulled away from the Eagles over the final eight minutes for a 69-54 conference triumph.
The victory enabled the Locos (14-1 overall) to remain perfect in the BBC at 5-0 with two conference games remaining against Fayette at home (February 6) and at Edon (February 13) for a shot of capturing the school’s first outright boys basketball title since 1956 when they were members of the Northwest Ohio Athletic League.
“This one was very important just because this was a very good North Central team and they could beat us anytime,” said Montpelier head coach Nick Ramos.
“I’m pretty sure that if Edon and Fayette knock us off that would take us out of the running for everything.
“We’ll have a long season for nothing if that happens. We still got to stay focused and make sure we’re staying locked in for this little stretch run.”
For the first eight minutes, the Locos and Eagles were locked into a back-and-forth scoring spree as the two teams combined for 49 points, 21 of 34 field goal shooting for 61 percent and seven trifectas in the quarter.
After a wide open trey by Montpelier’s CJ Fidler giving the Locos a 21-20 lead late in the opening quarter, the Eagles responded with a 6-0 run on consecutive baskets by Jackson Poynter, Zack Whitley and Tyler Meyers in opening up a 26-21 cushion.
Wesley Hartsock answered for Montpelier with a bucket to close out a high scoring quarter with the Eagles leading 26-23 despite six lead changes.
“We wanted to get the pace up a little bit and that’s how we like to play,” said North Central head coach Jalen Dancer. “I thought a high pace game would work into our advantage. We knew we had to hit a lot of shots to beat a team like Montpelier.”
A layup by North Central’s Anton Hegler gave the Eagles a 32-27 lead late in the second quarter before Montpelier answered with a 6-0 run to close out the first half.
Kenneth Smeltzer would then made a pair of buckets, and a Fidler jumper enabled the Locos to enter halftime leading by one point, 33-32, despite shooting just 5 of 13 from the floor in the quarter.
“They were trying to speed us up, and it was working in the first half,” said Ramos.
In the third quarter, the Locos led by four points, 41-37, on a layup by Hayden Sharps. The Eagles quickly tied it at 41-41 on two free throws and a layup by Whitley with 4:41 remaining.
Later in the quarter, Montpelier’s Gavyn Bass delivered a three-pointer from the right corner for a 48-43 lead. North Central tied it again at 48-48 on a steal and layup by Meyers and a trifecta by Poynter.
Hartsock broke the 48-48 tie with his third three-pointer of the game from the left corner, enabling the Locos to take a 51-48 lead into the final eight minutes.
After battling through three competitive quarters with North Central, Montpelier was able to finish it off over the final eight minutes outscoring the Eagles, 18-6, including 8 of 10 from the floor for 80 percent.
North Central was held to only two field goals on 2 of 7 field goal shooting and four turnovers in the quarter.
“We just needed a chance to close it out,” said the Locos coach. “They (North Central) gave us everything over the first three quarters.
“It really comes down where we have to do a better job of facing adversity. When teams give us that good shot, we must do a better job of answering it and staying together as a team.”
Montpelier got plenty of scoring production from its starters led by Fidler, who poured in 24 points, 14 of those coming in the first half.
Hartsock finished with 22 points and Kenneth Smeltzer had 11 points. The Locos were 30 of 53 for 56 percent from the floor, 3 of 5 from the stripe for 60 percent along with 28 rebounds and 13 turnovers.
“Montpelier was trying to push the pace a little bit, and I don’t think we got tired,” said Dancer. “They stifled us a little bit in the fourth quarter when they went to their 1-3-1 zone.
“They hit shots in that stretch and against a good team like that it all it takes in a two-to-three-minute stretch.”
Whitley led North Central with 18 points, including 5 of 6 from the stripe. Poynter finished with 17 points including four three-pointers.
The Eagles were 20 of 43 for 46 percent from the floor, including 8 of 15 from three-point range. They were 6 of 8 for 75 percent from the line along with 19 rebounds and ten turnovers.
“We’re very battle-tested,” admitted Dancer. “Our goal for the rest of the way is to get prepared for the tournament and feel like we can compete with anybody. We can make a serious run against the high-level teams.”
MONTPELIER (69) – Stahler 0; Stewart 0; Sharps 6; Fidler 24; M. Smeltzer 3; Hartsock 22; Bass 3; K. Smeltzer 11; Riggenbach 0; Walz 0; Totals: 24-6-3 – 69
NORTH CENTRAL (54) – Taylor 0; Meyers 7; Hegler 4; Poynter 17; Fiser 0; Brigle 0; Whitley 18; St. John 2, Clark 3; Martin 0; Fidler 3; Totals: 12-8-6 – 54
MHS 23 10 18 18 – 69
NCHS 26 6 16 6 – 54