WEST UNITY – By the time that the Hilltop Cadets found their offense against Pettisville on February 8, there was just enough time to turn a potential embarrassment into just a rout. The Cadets outgunned the Blackbirds 20-7 in the fourth period, but came away with a Pyrrhic-type loss, 58-40.
In invoking Pyrrhus, the Cadets fourth quarter victory prevented them from suffering a defeat that would have been, in a word, an embarrassment. While the Cadets were struggling to discover an offense, the Blackbirds were giving a clinic in scoring. Their 11-point first period lead continued to grow throughout the game. By the end of three, they were up on their hosts by 30 points.
The late Cadet rally, while failing to win the game, cut the deficit nearly in half in the span of one quarter, equaling their combined output of the previous three periods.
Kurt Siegel led all scorers with 18 points for the 6-12/4-4 Blackbirds, while David Reyes added 14. Jacob Valdez threw down 13 points, Dominic Frey had 9 points and Austin Dykstra had 4.
Payne Sentle led the Cadet Cadre with 14 points, with Kayne Grime adding 7 points and Joe Mohr 6. Xavier Lowery and Brandon Willis had 5 points apiece, Jalen Towers added a deuce and Collin Stipe had a point.
SCORING BY QUARTER:
Pettisville 17 11 23 7 – 58
Hilltop 6 8 6 20 – 40