By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
HAMLER (December 13, 2024) – It was only December, but the NWOAL opener at “The House of Heat” featured a pair of teams with unblemished records so far in the young season.
Patrick Henry, considered by most to be the league favorites, used their length and pressure defense to harass the Streaks into 33 turnovers and then held off an Archbold surge in the fourth quarter for a 47-36 win.
Play was ragged at times, especially in the first quarter, as the teams combined for 21 turnovers, but the Patriots were able to generate enough offense for an 8-4 lead after the opening eight minutes.
The Patriots lead would increase in the second with an 11-0 run as Ada Christman scored twice to open the frame before Carys Crossland scored seven straight points herself to make it 19-4 with 2:00 left in the half.
Charlee Forward temporarily stopped the bleeding for Archbold with a jumper from the left wing, but Crossland answered with her second triple of the quarter as she had ten points in the frame and the Patriots took a 23-11 lead into halftime.
Patrick Henry (5-0, 1-0 NWOAL) built their largest lead of the game in the third thanks to a 12-4 run that began with a Kasey Nelson field goal and included long balls from Crossland and Kelsey Schwiebert as the lead grew to 37-15.
Archbold freshman Klaire Kern kept the Streaks close heading to the fourth after scoring Archbold’s last seven points of the quarter to trim the Patriots lead to 39-22.
The Streaks continued to battle in the fourth using an 8-0 run to cut into a 43-27 Patriots advantage at the time.
Miley Gericke scored to start the spurt followed by buckets from Kern, Madi Bowers, and Forward to cut the lead to 43-35 with 1:04 left to go.
The Patriots would right the ship down the stretch going 4/4 at the foul line to secure the win.
“Our slow start hurt us tonight. Give them credit, they had a lot to do with our poor offensive night”, said Archbold head coach Brian Zeigler.
“That many turnovers against a good team is never going to end well. I liked our fight though in the later part of the third and the fourth quarter.”
Crossland led all scorers with 21 on the night while Kern paced Archbold (7-1, 0-1 NWOAL) with 17 and Forward tallied 10.
ARCHBOLD (36) – Pedraza 0; Forward 10; Kinsman 0; Thiel 3; Gericke 4; Wendt 0; Meyer 0; Bowers 2; Kern 17; Totals: 13-2-4 – 36
PATRICK HENRY (47) – Nelson 6; C. Crossland 21; Almanza 0; Guelde 3; Schwiebert 8; E. Christman 1; A. Christman 6; K. Crossland 2; Totals: 13-5-6 – 47
AHS 4 7 11 14 – 36
PHHS 8 15 16 8 – 47
Junior Varsity: Patrick Henry, 37-25
GAME STATISTICS
ARCHBOLD: FG – 15/37 (40%); FT – 4/6 (67%); Rebounds – 21 (7 offensive); Turnovers – 33; PATRICK HENRY: FG – 18/43 (41%); FT – 6/11 (54%); Rebounds – 24 (14 offensive); Turnovers – 27