(PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
BBC NONCONFERENCE CONTEST …. Pettisville guard Jack Leppelmeier drives hard to the bucket in the first half versus Stryker. Leppelmeier dropped a game-high 20 points for Pettisville. VIEW 162 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
PETTISVILLE (December 5, 2024) – The offensive showing early on in the Pettisville-Stryker game looked a lot like that of the Ohio State and Michigan football game…non-existent.
It was Pettisville who got going in the second quarter, using a 9-0 run to take a lead they never let go, in a 41-25 win over the cold shooting Panthers. The Blackbirds stand 3-0 on the year while Stryker fell to 1-1.
“I like our chemistry with our guys and that started in the summer,” winning coach Brian Leppelmeier explained. “Chemistry has always been good with these guys. We just have to keep building on that and how to play with each other.”
Both teams plodding through the first nine plus minutes with the Panthers holding a 3-2 lead. At that point Jack Leppelmeier got Pettisville rolling hitting Mason Wyse for a layup, knocking down a pair of shots from outside the arc and then a pull up bank, to give the ‘Birds a 14-9 halftime lead.
It was in the second half that Pettisville became very efficient on the offensive end. The Blackbirds took just 11 shots in the second half but made nine to pull away.
Back-to-back triples by Caden Bishop and Josh Morris to start the third quarter boosted the Blackbird lead to double figures at 20-9.
Stryker fought back in the next three minutes. Owen Rupp bagged a three-ball from the top of the circle, Jacob Myers found Braylen Wickerham for a layup and William Donovan’s tip-in shaved the margin to 20-16 with 1:55 left.
Alex Galvin scored in the key off a loose ball, then the Blackbirds ran the last 50 seconds off the third quarter clock with Galvin ending the quarter by nailing a corner triple just before the horn to bump the score to 25-16.
“Alex at the end of the quarter executed our offense really well,” Leppelmeier said of the freshman’s last two buckets.
“Those timely baskets in the rhythm of our offense was much better than early when we were jogging through cuts and being really slow on offense.”
In the fourth, rather than getting good looks from outside, the Blackbirds worked clock to get in the paint.
Leppelmeier scored on a reverse layup, then Creighton Aeschliman found Wyse twice and Morris for a third layup to open up as much as a 20 point gap at 41-21.
“Creighton has been under the weather the whole preseason,” Leppelmeier said. “He missed three scrimmages, so he is just starting to get back into the flow.”
“Tonight, I thought this is the first time that we saw the Creighton that we know. He does a great job sharing the ball and it makes it so nice that we can find guys on the back side like we did tonight.”
In all the Blackbirds scored five times in close out of their six final period attempts. For the game Pettisville was 14/27 for 52 percent after opening 1/9.
Stryker never really got in rhythm, shooting just 8/33 from the field. Leppelmeier was the only scorer in double figures with 20 for Pettisville.
STRYKER (25) – Donovan 5; Myers 5; Williams 3; Chapple 0; Stewart 0; Batterson 0; Wickerham 5; Rupp 7; Dickinson 0; Totals: 5-3-6 – 25
PETTISVILLE (41) – Hogrefe 0; Leppelmeier 20; Galvin 5; Aeschliman 0; Morris 5; Hastings 0; Wyse 8; Bevard 0; C. Bishop 3; Crawford 0; R. Bishop 0; Totals: 9-5-8 – 41
STRYKER 3 6 7 9 – 25
PETTISVILLE 2 12 11 16 – 41
Junior Varsity: Pettisville, 36-13
OPEN SHOT … Stryker’s Cody Stewart elevates for a jumper from the top of the key Thursday night at Pettisville.