By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
WEST UNITY (January 13, 2025) – For three quarters, Antwerp shot a very pedestrian 36% from the field.
However, the Archers hit the bullseye at a 91% clip in the second quarter to open up an 18-point halftime lead, then held off a Hilltop second half rally to take a 67-55 win.
The Archers snapped Hilltop’s three game win streak to raise their record to 4-9 while Hilltop dropped to 6-6.
Hampton Rogge’s pair of first quarter triples, along with a putback pushed the Archers up 14-9. Brock Kesler answered back with two buckets in the last 50 seconds, the second, a three-point play coming with 2.3 on the clock to knot the score at 14-all.
Antwerp was just 5/14 in the first quarter but that would soon change in the next eight minutes. Rogge canned his third three-ball to start the period to give the Archers the lead for keeps.
Zaine McMichael hit a turnaround, and Drew Eaken added a score off a turnover to make it 21-16. After the Cadets’ Micah Rossman hit a corner three-pointer, Antwerp followed a 9-0 burst to open a double figure lead.
Weston Rhonehouse drove the slot and hit a triple, then McMichael got 2/2 from the stripe and added a steal-and-score to make it 30-19.
The gap grew at the end of the quarter when Tavin Sholl banged in a triple, and McMichael scored on a baseline drive along with two more from the line to open up a 43-25 crevice at the half.
Antwerp hit 10/11 in the quarter but opened the third by not scoring the first eight possessions, going 0/6 with two turnovers.
During that span, Hilltop mounted a 13-0 run to slice the lead to 43-38. Rossman scored a stick back, Kesler got 2/2 from the line, Drew Bailey notched a three-point play off an Archer turnover, then Kesler capped the salvo with two drives to reduce the Archer lead to five with four minutes to go.
McMichael broke the streak with a turnaround jumper, Sholl got a bucket off a turnover, Rogge’s drive regained a double figure lead at 49-38, and the Cadets never got closer than nine again.
The Archers hit 10/10 from the foul line in the last three minutes, eight of those coming from McMichael, to nullify a Hilltop rally.
McMichael had 28 to lead all scorers. Rogge added 16 and Rhonehouse 10 for Antwerp. The Archers were 22/44 from the field for the night.
Kesler led Hilltop with 20 and Rossman had 15.
ANTWERP (67) – Eaken 2; McMichael 28; Sholl 9; Rhonehouse 10; Sproles 2; Fuller 0; Rogge 16; Totals: 16-6-17 – 67
HILLTOP (55) – Grubbs 3; Verdin 0; Schlosser 4; Shimp 5; Kesler 20; Rossman 15; Bailey 8; Totals: 16-4-11 – 55
ANTWERP 14 29 8 16 – 67
HILLTOP 14 11 17 13 – 55
