By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
SWANTON (December 29, 2025) – For much of the night if you didn’t look at the scoreboard, you would’ve thought Swanton was up double figures or better against Maumee.
Whether it was a series of turnovers, a rash of foul trouble, or a forced shot that was the hindrance, the Bulldogs largest gap was just seven in the third quarter, and every one of those afore mentioned woes led to a Panther comeback and a 46-44 win in the opening round of the Bob Fisher Holiday Classic in Swanton.
Maumee will face Ottawa Hills in the title game as the Green Bears beat Delta, 53-48 in the first game of the night. Swanton and Delta will play in the consolation match today.
Brady Haselman’s baseline drive and Evan Reinhardt’s three-point play gave Swanton a late 10-6 lead in the first.
Abram Sutherland scooped up a loose ball for a layup that cut the Bulldog lead in half at the quarter, then Ben Kubicz layup knotted the game 15 seconds in the second.
Brady O’Shea’s three-pointer gave Swanton a lead that the Bulldogs would build on through most of the second.
Carsen Lemons layup and another of a loose ball out of a scrum by Owen Hurst got the Bulldogs up 20-14 with a minute left in the half.
Eli Dodson scored off the press breaker to shave the deficit to 20-16, then after a Swanton miscue, Dodson drained a triple at the horn to bring Maumee within a point 20-19.
O’Shea with one triple from the corner and Haselman with two more from the same corner got Swanton up 29-22 with 3:44 left in the third.
However, during that time both Reinhard and Gio Ruiz picked up a fourth foul and forced them to sit for extended minutes.
Also, a myriad of Bulldog turnovers, seven in the quarter, helped the Panthers get back into the game.
Bryan Umeadi scored an outback and after the Panthers hit 4-6 from the stripe, Dodson went solo off a turnover to give Maumee a 30-29 lead.
Connor Mitchey’s layup regained a Bulldog lead heading into the fourth. Reinhard’s three-point play with 5:36 to go put Swanton ahead 37-34 but again the Bulldogs went scoreless for a length of three minutes.
During that time Kubicz scored a three-point play and hit 2-2 from the line to put Maumee in front 41-37 and forced the Bulldogs to play catch up the rest of the way.
O’Shea’s desperation heave with 1.6 left got Swanton within 45-44 but Dom Poellintz split a pair from the line for the final margin.
Kubicz was the only player to reach double figures on the night with 13. Swanton (3-5) had a total of 20 turnovers in the deliberate pace and shot 16-42 from the floor.
Maumee (5-3) had 16 miscues and was 15-43 from the field. The Panthers shot 6-11 in the pivotal fourth quarter.
MAUMEE (46) – B. Kubicz 13; Kennedy 6; Poellnitz 8; Heard 2; Dodson 9; UmeAdi4; Greenlese 0; W. Kubicz 0; Sutherland 4; Totals: 15-2-10 – 46
SWANTON (44) – O’Shea 9; Hurst 9; Ruiz 2; Reinhard 9; Haselman 9; Koder 0; Lemons 2; Mitchey 4; Smigelski 0; Totals: 10-6-6 – 44
MHS 8 11 12 15 – 46
SHS 10 10 11 13 – 44