PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
TRIPLE TRY … Bryan’s Mylie Vollmer snaps off a triple in the second half at Wauseon High School. VIEW 98 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
SCOOP AND SCORE … Wauseon senior Sophia Rupp slides by a Golden Bear defender for a shot in the second half.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
WAUSEON (February 12, 2026) – The wrestler Booker T once said, “everyone deserves a second chance.” Basketball isn’t nearly the same as wrestling, but sometimes, you still get a second bite at the apple anyway.
Bryan got plenty of reprieves and made the most of those by scoring 27 points off second-chances and turnovers to roll past Wauseon, 56-38, in the regular season finale for both teams.
“It’s always nice to get one on the road, especially here at Wauseon,” said veteran Golden Bear coach Todd Grosjean. “They are a very well coached team and they got (Sophia) Rupp back tonight who is a great player.”
“They can shoot it and I thought we defended very well, not letting them get comfortable in their offense, and not letting them stand and shoot.”
Averyann Fisher scored three times in the first 75 seconds, one of those a second try off her own miss, to give Bryan a 6-0 lead they never relinquished.
Aizlynn Coronado’s bob-and-weave drive through traffic and Tegan Hamilton’s deep wing deuce kept Wauseon close at 10-8, but Fisher capped a personal 11-point quarter with a long range triple to keep Bryan up 13-10.
Marin Leatherman found Rupp on a backcut to shave the Indians’ deficit to a single point with 7:17 left in the half.
That turned out to be the only field goal Wauseon would score in the quarter. Bryan notched the next 14 points, every one of them coming on either a Wauseon turnover or a rebound off their own misfire.
Braya Hepker got buckets from offensive rebounds the next two times down the floor, then Piper Hanna got another in the same fashion after an Indian miscue to make it 19-12.
Josey Arnold loaded up from long distance, canning two three-pointers from outside the arc after two more Wauseon turnovers.
Fisher’s reverse layup after the seventh Indian mistake of the quarter finished a 14-0 burst that put Bryan ahead 27-13 at halftime.
“At halftime we told them, ‘don’t quit what you are doing’, because that half was probably the best we have rebounded at the offensive end all year,” Grosjean stated.
“We aren’t the biggest girls in the area, but we are pretty scrappy. Piper Hanna, Amiyah Langham are only 5’4” and Fish is our leading rebounder at 5’7”.”
“I thought our kids were really active and got a lot of second chance opportunities and we made them pay. Those opportunities were huge building our lead by halftime.”
Arnold’s third three-ball of the night extended the Bears’ advantage to 30-13, but Wauseon made a run, mostly in the person of Leatherman.
The 5’10” Indian senior scored off a Bear turnover, hit two free throws, then a baseline floater to slice the Bryan lead to 30-22 with 4:59 left in the third.
The Bears answered right back as Langham got loose in the corner for a three-pointer, Fisher got a basket off the offensive boards, and Arnold stuck yet another three-pointer to boost the Bryan bulge to 38-22.
Arnold hit her fifth and final triple with 4.5 seconds on the clock to put Bryan in command at 43-26. Four more Fisher points to start the fourth gave Bryan their largest margin at 47-26.
Fisher led both teams in scoring with 23 points, and Arnold chalked up 19 for the Bears. Leatherman had 13 points to pace Wauseon (12-10, 2-5 NWOAL).
Bryan (13-9, 4-3 NWOAL) had 15 offensive rebounds, and just 10 turnovers compared with 19 turnovers for Wauseon.
BRYAN (56) – Cordy 0; Slagle 0; Langham 5; Miller 1; Hanna 4; Fisher 23; Kidston 0; Arnold 19; Wallace 0; Vollmer 0; Hepker 4; Elkins 0; Totals: 13-7-9 – 56
WAUSEON (38) – Kissel 1; Fisher 0; Leatherman 13; Coronado 4; Sanford 0; Hamilton 2; S. Rupp 8; Tule 4; Rodriguez 0; Barajas 4; Ehrsam 0; Badenhop 0; Schindler 0; C. Rupp 2; Inderrieden 0; Totals: 13-0-12 – 38
WHS 10 3 13 12 – 38
BHS 13 14 16 13 – 56