(January 16th, 2015) – MONTPELIER: With rival Bryan coming to town, the boys of Montpelier were excited and ready to play well before the opening tip.
Still, this game was a hard one for the Locomotives. At one point, in the middle of the third quarter, they were within 3 points of the Golden Bears, seeming to have momentum on their side. Bryan was able to turn things around, however, and Montpelier suffered a bitter 54-40 loss to their rival.
The contest was intense from the beginning. The two teams battled back and forth, with Bryan gaining a slight upper hand early. By the end of the first period, the Locos were down by the narrowest of margins, 13-11. The second quarter saw Montpelier score another 11 points. But the Bears were able to put up 16, expanding their advantage to 7 points. With a halftime score of 29-22, the Locomotives had some work to do if they wanted to challenge Bryan in the second half.
The third period began with the Loco boys making a run at Bryan. Pulling ot within 3 points of the Golden Bears midway through the the period, it looked as though Montpelier might earn their first North Western Ohio Athletic League victory. However, Bryan responded, coming back to take the third quarter 11-10. That surge continued in the fourth period, as the Locomotives fell further behind, thanks to a 14-8 run by the Bears.
Alex Matzinger stepped up for Montpelier in this game. Constantly attacking the basket and earning trips to the free throw line, the Loco senior scored 13 points against Bryan. Nate McCord contributed 9 points in the loss. Michael Blake and Jacob Leung each added 5 points to the Montpelier total as well.