By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
MONTPELIER (February 1, 2025) – Not only did Montpelier clinch a Buckeye Border Conference basketball title this week, but they also put a lock on the #2 seed in their Division VI District draw.
So, what turned out to be the ultimate trap game, less than 48 hours after achieving the above mentioned accolades, the Locos escaped the snare by beating Antwerp 38-33.
“This was a good win because we came off an emotional win Thursday night against Pettisville to win the conference,” long time Loco head coach Mike Bumb said.
“We get in a little Friday practice there and it’s a Saturday afternoon game. It’s a non-conference game. The hay is in the barn for seeding, so there’s a lot of reasons to come out here and lay an egg.”
“But we’ve got five seniors on this team that are very mature, and we came out and won the game. Were we as good as we hoped? No, but I don’t care. We did what we needed, and we won the game.”
Jada Uribes hit two field goals early, one a corner triple, to put the Locos up 5-2. Caroline Rohrs 2/2 from the stripe edged the Archers ahead with two minutes left in the first at 6-5.
Aleigha Hillard’s curl cut, and Lyla Mahan’s three-ball regained a 10-6 Loco lead after a quarter. After two Rohrs free throws, the Locos had a big reply as Uribes hit another from long range, Kelsie Bumb has a steal and score, Zoe Uribes scored in transition and then from Jada Uribes on a dump pass from the high post to give the Locos a 20-8 lead late in the first half.
Antwerp chipped away in the third. While the Locos misfired on four of their first five trips, Briley Bagley bagged a pair of three-balls, and Rohrs got herself four more freebies from the line to get the Archers within 22-20.
Uribes and Uribes each hit from close to bump the Loco advantage to 26-20 with 2:47 left. Bagley’s third from deep cut that margin in half but Bumb answered from the corner to again put Montpelier back up six, 32-26, to end the third.
Rohrs got inside for a score and made it an ‘and-1’ at the 3:32 mark of the fourth. Mahan got the bucket back on an out-of-bounds play to keep the Archers at bay.
Montpelier (14-5) shot just 13/38 from the field, while Antwerp hit 9/30. Zoe Uribes had 11 for Montpelier, while Jada Uribes tacked on 10.
Rohrs had 22, including 12/12 from the line, for Antwerp (6-14).
ANTWERP (33) – Rohrs 22; Franklin 0; Hormann 0; Philpot 2; Bagley 9; Peters 0; Cl. Rohrs 0; Totals: 6-3-12 – 33
MONTPELIER (38) – Bumb 6; Hillard 3; Z. Uribes 11; Ramos 0; Feeney 0; Hopper 0; J. Uribes 10; Totals: 9-4-8 – 38
AHS 6 4 16 7 – 33
MHS 10 10 12 6 – 38
Junior Varsity: Antwerp, 20-6
