By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
WAUSEON (January 20, 2026) – Wauseon started as stale as week-old donuts, missing their first seven shots and committing three turnovers.
However, Shelly Borton’s Indians made their defense create offense, and Wauseon used three big scoring runs to defeat Pettisville, 42-17, in a non-league contest at Wauseon.
“That’s a great way to put it,” Borton said about the Indians’ stale start. “What we talked about at halftime is that we didn’t have enough defensive pressure to start the game.
“We were being passive and trying to anticipate rather than being the aggressors. Once we kind of got that figured out, then the offense came a little easier.”
While the Indians were going through their offensive woes in the first four minutes, Madison Miller had a pair of pump-and-go moves for scores that gave Pettisville an early lead.
However, that lead disappeared quickly, thanks to a couple of Blackbird turnovers, and buckets from Ella Tule and Sophia Rupp that knotted the game 4-4 after one.
Wauseon created more havoc in the second, forcing seven Blackbird ball-handling miscues and scoring off a number of them.
Marin Leatherman’s basket off a feed from Rupp after a turnover put Wauseon ahead, then after Evelyn Bieber tied it back up with two free throws, the Indians took the lead for good on Leatherman’s triple from the corner with 3:35 left in the half.
Rupp scored off a steal, then drilled a three-ball from the corner to make it 14-8. Leatherman’s basket off a steal-and-feed from Aizlynn Coronado doubled up the score at halftime.
Pettisville shot just 3-15 from the floor in the first half and committed 12 turnovers. Things got worse for the Blackbirds in the third. The Blackbirds misfired on their first nine attempts.
In the meantime, the Indians were adding on to their lead. Triples from Rupp and Tegan Hamilton sandwiched Coronado’s pull-up jumper and dish to Leatherman for a layup, as the Indians rolled to a 29-8 margin with 37 ticks left in the third.
Grace Hastings’ three-pointer ended the run of 18 straight Wauseon points, but another Indian scoring burst, this one 13 consecutive points in the fourth, put the game away.
Coronado’s coast-to-coast race to the rim started the salvo, and it ended with a Kara Ehrsam hoop with a minute to go, which gave Wauseon (10-5) its largest lead at 42-13.
Rupp’s 14 led Wauseon while Leatherman added 13.
Wauseon was 16-49 from the field but committed just 11 turnovers. Pettisville (6-10) finished 5-32 from the floor and had 22 turnovers.
Wauseon now plays Patrick Henry this Thursday. The Blackbirds host Montpelier, also this Thursday.
PETTISVILLE (17) – Rice 3; Strauss 0; Fox 0; Hastings 3; Schwartz 1; Ripke 0; Miller 7; Davis 0; Bieber 3; Tietje 0; Totals: 3-2-5 – 17
WAUSEON (42) – Kissel 0; Fisher 2; Leatherman 13; Coronado 4; Sanford 1; Hamilton 3; Rupp 14; Tule 3; Barajas 0; Ehrsam 2; Totals: 12-4-6 – 42
PHS 4 4 3 6 – 17
WHS 4 12 13 13 – 42