NWOAL RIVALS … Molly Harris gets loose inside for a layup for the Bluestreaks in the first half.
PHOTOS BY RACHEL NAGEL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FRANTIC FINISH … Delta’s McKenzie Kruger put up a floater in the lane during Tuesday night’s Division V district semifinal at Defiance High School. VIEW PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
DEFIANCE (February 24, 2026) – Author Emily Lloyd-Jones once expressed, “Nothing comes for free” – or does it?
Holding a 44-37 lead with less than a minute left, Archbold had six chances at the foul line to put Delta away – they got nothing. Nothing comes for free, right? Or does it?
For whatever reason, Archbold fouled the Panthers four times in the same time frame, allowing Delta chances to score without the clock running.
Delta went 8-8 from the stripe. Nothing comes for free? Well just maybe it does. Add it all up and it equated to a miraculous 47-44 Delta win that put the Panthers into the Division V district final.
“It was a whirlwind of events,” Delta coach Kelsey Gillen stated. “For us to be out of timeouts, them to be out of timeouts, the scoreboard and table to be wrong constantly, I wasn’t sure what would be next. Bottom line is, our girls did not give up.”
Early on Archbold’s Reagan Wendt capitalized on a pair of Delta turnovers for buckets, got another off a stickback, and took a feed from Molly Harris for eight first quarter points that gave the Streaks a 15-12 lead.
Charlee Forward’s 2-2 from the foul line expanded the gap to 17-12 at the 7:36 mark of the second. However, the Panthers mounted the first of a trio of comebacks on the night.
Anna Lohman got two from the foul line as did Abbey Todd to get the Panthers within a point with 6:59 to go.
Todd’s long range howitzer from the left side boosted Delta on top and Keagyn Gillen’s basket off one of 10 Archbold turnovers in the quarter, doubled the Delta lead to 21-17.
Harris regained a 24-23 Bluestreak advantage with a second-chance three-ball with 2:58 left but Gillen cashed in 2-2 from the foul line to give Delta a slim 25-24 margin at the break.
Wendt’s triple to start the third bounced Archbold back up 27-25 and began a 10-1 Bluestreak run. Wendt’s floater, Molly Gericke’s second-chance bucket and Forward’s 2-2 at the stripe, made it 34-26 halfway through the third.
Delta came back again. Lohman hit twice from just inside the foul line, and Addison Wyse scored on a putback to bring the Panthers within 38-34 at the end of the third.
Todd’s back-cut basket from Gillen chopped the deficit to 38-36, 17 seconds into the fourth.
Delta had plenty of chances to tie or take the lead over the next three minutes, but shot just 1-9 to start the quarter.
Forward’s back-to-back hoops and another from Harris boosted the Streaks on top 44-37 with 1:49 to go. Then came the last 69 seconds from which movies are made, as Delta roared back one final time.
Gillen hit 2-2 from the stripe with 1:09 left, and after an Archbold turnover, Todd hit two more when she was fouled going to the rim.
Delta was forced to foul coming down the stretch but Archbold, who was 12-14 from the line to that point, missed four straight.
The Streaks fouled Lohman, and the Panther sophomore made good again twice from the line with 44 seconds to go to slice what had been a seven-point deficit to 44-43.
Lohman went coast-to-coast with 26 seconds to go for a lay-in that gave Delta a 45-44 lead.
Forward was fouled with 18 seconds left, and after missing the first, was called for a lane violation as she hit the second, giving possession back to Delta.
The Panthers worked the clock to 6.2 before Todd was tied up near the sideline.
Originally, the jump ball was awarded to Archbold, but after discussion, it was determined that the administration of the possession arrow had erred and Delta kept the basketball.
Lohman knocked home two more from the line, and Archbold’s last heave was off target. “All season we struggled with foul shots,” Gillen said. “We’ve had to hit pressure ones in the last two weeks and it really paid off tonight at the end.”
Lohman led all scorers with 21. Gillen had 12 and Todd 10 for the Panthers (20-4). Wendt had 13, Harris 11 and Forward 10 for Archbold (18-6).
Delta now plays Saturday at 3:00 p.m. against Willard for a district title at Lakota High School.
ARCHBOLD (44) – Hurst 0; Forward 10; Short 0; Kern 2; Gericke 8; Wendt 13; Harris 11; Totals: 13-2-12 – 44
DELTA (47) – Lohman 21; Todd 10; Kruger 0; Martinez 0; A. Gillen 0; Mohring 2; Wyse 2; K. Gillen 12; Totals: 11-2-19 – 47
AHS 15 9 14 6 – 44
DHS 12 13 9 13 – 47