SATURDAY NIGHT HOOPS … Edgerton’s Noah Weaver powers up a shot in the Bulldogs’ win at Hilltop.
PHOTOS BY REBEKAH DELL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
DRIVE AND DISH … Hilltop’s Brycen Grubbs kicks the ball to the corner on a drive down the lane.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
WEST UNITY (January 31, 2026) – The opening of 2026 has not been good to Edgerton as going into the last day of the month, the Bulldogs had dropped six of seven after the first of the year.
However, on the last day of January, Duane Miller’s team jumped out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back, taking a 68-32 victory in West Unity.
“We needed this one,” Miller said after. “We’ve lost a number of games to a lot of good teams but if you want to be good during this time of the year, you’ve got to take care of your own business.”
“I thought we started out good, our defensive intensity was good. We tipped a lot of balls and got a lot of steals to get easy baskets early.”
“We rebounded a lot better (the Bulldogs held a 41-22 edge of the glass) and limited them to one shot.
“That was very important because they are a dangerous team when they are making shots. If (Anthony) Jiannuzzi is not hurt it may have been a different story too. But we got on a roll early on, and our intensity was a lot better than is has been.”
Brady Everetts’ corner three-ball started the opening burst with 6:22 left in the first. Kellen Sanchez and Noah Weaver each split a pair from the line, and Parker Elden laced another triple at the 3:26 mark to make it 8-0.
Weaver found Sanchez cutting to the rim, then canned two more from the line to extend the lead to 12-0.
Hilltop playing without Jiannuzzi, who suffered a practice injury that will keep him out for an extended time, also lost 6’7” Micah Rossman early in the game after taking a shot in the nose. Rossman would return later in the contest.
Brennan Dempsey broke an 0-8 Cadet start, with a three-pointer with 1:35 left in the first to get Hilltop on the board.
Dempsey hit another from deep to get Hilltop back to a 14-7 deficit at the end of the first and a pair of Brycen Grubbs spin moves early in the second chipped the Cadets closer at 16-11 with 6:27 to go in the half.
That’s when Sanchez took over, scoring eight points in the quarter. The Bulldogs junior nailed a pull up jumper, scored on a loose ball, and canned four straight from the foul line to bump Edgerton ahead 30-17 at the break.
Edgerton got to the rim over and over starting the third to open the quarter with a 14-2 run that created a 25-point lead.
Everetts and Maddox Baker combined for 10 points during the salvo along with a power move inside from Weaver, and Elden’s fast break bucket to make it 44-19.
“We talked about that this morning,” Miller explained of the Bulldogs’ ability to get to the basket offensively.
“We had the opportunity for back door cuts because they try to get out and pressure you up top. I thought once we stopped settling for taking the first shot and reversing the ball a couple of times, we got to the rim a lot easier and got some easy looks throughout the game.”
Myles Baker’s three-point play gave Edgerton their biggest lead in the third at 52-24 with a minute left.
Jacob Steffes hit six straight points late in the game to get the lead up to 68-31 and institute the running clock rule.
Maddox Baker scored 14, Sanchez 13 and Everetts 10 to pace a balanced Edgerton (9-10) attack. Hilltop (8-10), who shot just 11-48 on the night, did not have a scorer in double figures.
EDGERTON (68) – Ma. Baker 14; Sinclair 2; P. Elden 5; Stark 0; Everetts 10; Sanchez 13; Weaver 9; My. Baker 6; Steffes 7; Schroeder 2; Totals: 20-3-19 – 68
HILLTOP (32) – Grubbs 6; Verdin 1; T. Hartman 4; Carter 0; Bowers 0; Burdine 3; C. Hartman 0; Rossman 0; Bailey 8; Dempsey 7; Totals: 8-3-7 – 32
EHS 14 16 22 16 – 68
HHS 7 10 12 8 – 32