NWOAL ROAD GAME … Swanton’s Drew Koder starts a drive last Friday in a NWOAL game at Evergreen.
FASTBREAK … Evergreen’s Troy Manz gets a layup in the first half off a home win over Swanton.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
METAMORA (February 13, 2026) – Evergreen found consistency with the return of star point guard Troy Manz, who tallied 21 points, five assists, and five steals in his second game back. The Vikings surged to a 14-point first-quarter lead and never looked back, defeating Swanton 84-48.
“It’s big for us getting a win in a rivalry game, but it’s also important for us seeding-wise and in the RPI,” said Viking coach Kyle Bostater. “It puts us in position to win a sectional title and gives us a chance to make some noise farther down the line.”
Brady O’Shea’s early three-pointer gave Swanton a brief 3-2 lead with 6:42 left in the first, but Evergreen quickly seized momentum. The Vikings rattled off 13 straight points in under three minutes to take control.
George Allendorf and Quinn Eisel combined for three baskets during the run. Manz fired a half-court pass to Allendorf for a layup, then Will Ruetz connected with Manz for another layup, pushing the lead to 15-3. Manz’s long three-pointer and a drop pass inside to Bryce Bolger extended the margin to 22-10.
“It’s really nice to have him back,” Bostater said of Manz. “He’s the guy who runs the engine and makes it go for us, and he definitely showed that tonight.”
A Ruetz spin move and a feed to Eisel capped a 26-12 first quarter. Evergreen shot 12-for-20 and forced seven Bulldog turnovers in the opening eight minutes.
The Vikings cooled off in the second, shooting just 7-for-21, but still widened their lead thanks to six more Swanton turnovers. Ruetz capitalized on two of those with a stop-and-go layup and a deep three, giving Evergreen a 42-22 halftime advantage.
Brady Haselman scored eight for Swanton in the third, including two three-pointers, but Evergreen responded with another offensive burst. Manz scored nine in the quarter and dished out two more assists.
Allendorf knocked down two three-pointers, Chris Shrader added a third, and Blake Fisher’s drive to the rim capped a 32-point outburst, stretching the Viking lead to 74-42 heading to the fourth.
“I think we credit that a lot to the ball movement and sharing,” Bostater said. “A good chunk of that comes from Troy moving the basketball. Our defense also creates a lot of our offense with deflections and steals up top, leading to easy buckets.”
Manz’s pull-up jumper and Eisel’s pass to Shrader for a layup started the running clock with over seven minutes left. Austin Gillen’s layup gave Evergreen its largest lead at 84-43 with three minutes to go.
Haselman and O’Shea each scored 11 to lead Swanton. Eisel matched Manz’s 21 points and added 14 rebounds and five assists. Allendorf contributed 18 points and five assists. Ruetz finished with nine points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and six steals.
Evergreen (12-8, 2-4 NWOAL) shot 37-for-76 from the field with just seven turnovers. Swanton (6-13, 0-6 NWOAL) went 17-for-48 and committed 24 turnovers.
SWANTON (48) – O’Shea 11; Hurst 6; Ruiz 5; Reinhard 5; Haselman 11; Mitchey 2; Koder 5; Smigelski 0; Lemons 0; Rhoades 0; Bolyard 0; McGary 0; Hendrix 3; Totals: 6-10-6 – 48
EVERGREEN (84) – Manz 21; Ruetz 9; Farley 0; Q. Eisel 21; Allendorf 18; B. Eisel 0; Bolger 4; Fisher 2; Harmon 0; Mossing 0; Gillen 2; Shrader 7; Schwartz 0; Totals: 30-7-3 – 84
SHS 12 10 20 6 – 48
EHS 26 16 32 10 – 84