(PHOTOS BY BREANA RELIFORD / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
SECTIONAL FINAL … Landon Bassett corrals a loose ball for the Golden Bears on Tuesday night.
FOURTH QUARTER ACTION … Gavin Jaessing gets the ball down low in the fourth quarter versus Maumee.
By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
BRYAN (February 18, 2025) – Teams always want to be playing their best at tournament time. And after wins over Wauseon and Paulding last weekend, Bryan felt that they were.
No. 10 seed Maumee had other ideas as they used the long ball to take the early lead and Ben Kubicz made key plays down the stretch after the Golden Bears had rallied for a 59-54 Division IV sectional final win.
It was a hot shooting start for the Panthers as Paris James, Jr., Will Kubicz, and Eli Dodson all knocked down triples in the first quarter to help Maumee take a 13-6 lead.
An offensive rebound for a bucket from Abram Sutherland pushed the lead to 15-8 but a Tucker Watson baby hook in the lane for Bryan to end the quarter cut the Golden Bears deficit to 15-10.
Bryan’s Gavin Jaessing scored in the lane and Watson added another field goal from the low square to trim the Maumee lead to 15-14 in the opening minutes of the second.
Sutherland responded with a quick five points with a stick back and a conventional three-point play off a bucket on a pick-and-roll to make it 20-14 at the 4:19 mark.
A Carter Dominique score inside for Bryan was followed by a triple and two-point jumper by Ben Kubicz to give the Panthers their largest lead of the night at 25-16 with 2:43 left in the half.
Bryan came back with four straight points as Kingston Sito hit a pair of free throws following a technical foul on the Panthers and Landon Bassett scored on a drive to make it 25-20.
The Panthers would end their scoring in the first half courtesy of Dodson, who drilled Maumee’s fifth triple of the half, but Sito answered with a putback to make it 28-22 Maumee at the break.
Two scores from 6’7” Mike Kiss started the scoring for the Panthers after halftime before a Sito jumper and a Dominique triple from the left wing kept Bryan close at 32-27 with 3:51 left in the quarter.
Maumee would build the lead to eight points at 37-29 before a 12-2 Bryan run gave them their first lead of the game.
Bassett and Dominique turned in consecutive three-point plays, and Sito went 2/2 at the line to cut the Maumee lead to 39-37 after three.
It was Bassett getting a ‘and-one’ on a strong drive to the basket to put Bryan ahead 40-39 with 6:56 to go before he scored on another drive to the hoop to make it 42-39.
The lead was short lived though as Maumee responded with a 12-2 run of their own beginning with Kiss going 2/2 at the stripe and Ben Kubicz hit a foul line jumper to give Maumee the lead back, 43-42.
Kubicz scored again as he blew by a Bryan defender for a layup, but a Sito bucket made it 45-44.
Will Kubicz continued the run with an offensive rebound bucket followed by consecutive field goals from Dodson to increase the lead to 51-44.
Bryan made one more run as Jaessing had two free throws and a layup and Sito added a jumper in the lane to bring Bryan to within three points at 53-50 with 31.8 left.
Maumee would put the game out of reach after that as Sutherland went 2/2 at the line after being intentionally fouled on a breakaway and then Ben Kubicz converted two more foul shots to give the Panthers a 57-50 advantage with 18.8 remaining.
Maumee (6-16) finished 10/10 at the foul line in the final frame and went 14/14 on the night. Ben Kubicz had 15 points, eight in the fourth quarter, to lead Maumee and Dodson added 10.
Sito had 24 for Bryan (8-15) to lead all scorers and Bassett contributed 10.
MAUMEE (59) – Kiss 8; B. Kubicz 15; W. Kubicz 8; Sutherland 9; Graetz 4; Heard 2; Dodson 10; James 3; Totals: 15-5-14 – 59
BRYAN (54) – Welling 0; Miller 0; Muehlfeld 0; Jaessing 8; Bassett 10; Sito 24; Dominique 8; Watson 4; Totals: 17-2-14
MHS 15 13 11 20 – 59
BHS 10 12 15 17 – 54
GAME STATISTICS
MAUMEE: FG – 20/45 (44%); FT – 14/14 (100%); Rebounds – 24 (8 offensive); Turnovers – 11; BRYAN: FG – 19/41 (46%); FT – 14/19 (74%); Rebounds – 24 (12 offensive); Turnovers – 7