BIG MAN VS. BIG MAN … Archbold’s Micah Nofziger dribbles along the baseline with Swanton’s Charlie Wood on his hip. VIEW ALL PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
SWANTON SENIOR … Logan Young tries to get off a shot over the top of a Bluestreak defender.
By: Sienna Gill
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
ARCHBOLD (January 31, 2025) – When two evenly matched teams go head-to-head, often, it comes down to the final possession, and in Archbold, it did.
The “Thunderdome” shook, but it was ultimately the Swanton Bulldogs who brought the storm, delivering a last-second lightning strike to stun the Bluestreaks.
On the road, the Swanton defeated the Archbold Bluestreaks 46-44 in a thrilling finish, thanks to a last-second three-pointer from Swanton’s Brady O’Shea.
The first quarter was a neck-to-neck battle, with both teams trading baskets early in the game. Archbold’s Sonny Phillips got the scoring started, but Swanton was quick to answer.
A three-pointer from Swanton gave the Bulldogs the lead, and despite multiple turnovers and fouls on both sides, Swanton (10-9, 2-3 NWOAL) held a narrow one-point lead by the end of the first.
Archbold started the second quarter off strong, quickly putting points on the board, but Swanton kept pace with key plays from Charlie Wood and Giovanni Ruiz. The Bluestreaks outscored Swanton 13-9 in the second quarter, taking a 21-18 lead into halftime.
In the third and much of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs turned the tide. After an early 21-21 tie, Swanton drained a crucial three-pointer, followed up by steady scoring from Wood.
Swanton outscored Archbold 18-8 in the third, taking a 36-29 lead into the final period, but Archbold was ready.
The Bluestreaks clawed back in the fourth quarter, hitting a three-pointer and a key steal to tie the game 39-39 with just over 4 minutes remaining.
Archbold (9-7, 2-3 NWOAL) was able to capitalize on multiple free throw opportunities to get back in the game, taking a slim 44-43 lead in the final seconds of the game.
With just six seconds left in the game, Swanton called a timeout and set up one final play. The clock wound down, stopping with just one second left as the ball went out of bounds.
The crowd held its breath as O’Shea made a last-second strike, launching a three-pointer that banked in at the buzzer, winning a 46-44 victory for the Bulldogs and stunning the crowd.
SWANTON (46) – O’Shea 8; Young 4; Ruiz 7; Mitchey 0; Lemons 0; Bolyard 3; Reinhard 8; Haselman 3; Wood 13; Totals: 9-7-7 46
ARCHBOLD (44) – Gracia 0; Phillips 11; Krieger 0; Wendt 3; Williams 0; Harris 9; Krueger 1; Piercefield 0; Valentine 5; Nofziger 15; Gericke 0; Totals: 13-2-13 – 44
SHS 9 9 18 10 – 46
AHS 8 13 8 15 – 44
Junior Varsity: Archbold, 46-28
