PHOTOS BY REBEKAH DELL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
BBC ROAD WIN … Pettisville’s Sam Hastings looks for an opening in the Hilltop defense. VIEW 96 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
POST MOVE … Hilltop junior Micah Rossman makes a move in the low post Friday night versus Pettisville.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
WEST UNITY (February 6, 2026) – Pettisville played well in every aspect of the game to take a big early lead and go on to a 69-27 win over Hilltop.
“In terms of the RPI, every win is important,” Blackbird coach Brian Leppelmeier stated. Anytime you’re on the road in this league, it’s tough.
“I thought our guys came out in both halves with the same energy. Sometimes you don’t come out with the same intensity with a lead, but our guys got after it right away in the third quarter like they did the first, and had really good intensity.
“Neither team shot it well in the first quarter. However, Pettisville used a huge 17-6 edge on the glass, including nine boards on the offensive end, to jump out to a double-figure lead.
Jack Leppelmeier’s three-point play along with a basket off a steal got the Blackbirds off to an early lead. Ryan Bishop had a second-chance hoop to give Pettisville an 11-0 margin.
Austin Verdin put the Cadets on the board with three free throws after being fouled on a long range attempt with 1:57 on the clock.
Those points would be the only ones that Hilltop could score in the first, as the Cadets went 0-11 from the floor.
Meanwhile, Sam Hastings hit a reverse layup, and Graycen Osterday hit a one-hander at the horn for a 15-3 Pettisville lead.
“They are bigger than us, so we had to be relentless defensively, contest shots and when we weren’t finishing, we had to get rebounds on both ends of the floor,” Leppelmeier explained.
The Blackbird lead grew more than double in the second quarter. Osterday, Kobe Hoylman, and Aiden Crawford each tripled, and Leppelmeier scored nine second period points, as Pettisville shot 68 percent in the period to take a 41-16 halftime lead.
“I thought in the second quarter we moved the basketball well and got ourselves some easy shots and good looks,” Leppelmeier said.
“You start hitting shots and everyone gets involved; it makes the game simpler.” Brennan Dempsey’s seven points in the quarter accounted for most of the Hilltop (8-11, 1-5 BBC) output in the second.
Osterday and Leppelmeier almost evenly split 17 third quarter points to open up a 58-25 gap. Camden Hogrefe’s steal-and-score to open the fourth started the running clock rule.
Zander Hogrefe’s three-pointer late in the game gave Pettisville (10-8, 5-1 BBC) their largest margin and also accounted for the final score.
Leppelmeier led all scorers with 25 and Osterday had 13. After going 5-20 in the first quarter, Pettisville shot 21-36 the rest of the way.
Pettisville forced 21 Cadet turnovers while committing only eight.
PETTISVILLE (69) – C. Hogrefe 4; Leppelmeier 25; Aeschliman 2; Osterday 13; Hoylman 6; Hastings 6; Z. Hogrefe 5; Crawford 6; Bishop 2; Totals: 17-9-8 – 69
HILLTOP (27) – Grubbs 0; Verdin 6; Jiannuzzi 0; T. Hartman 0; Carter 0; Burdine 2; C. Hartman 0; Rossman 5; Bailey 5; Dempsey 9; Totals: 6-4-3 – 27
PHS 15 26 17 11 – 69
HHS 3 13 9 2 – 27