(PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
NWOAL SHOWDOWN … Kendall Sprow attacks the rim with Patrick Henry’s Ada Christman close by.
LONG RANGE … Delta’s Addison Wyse steps into a triple try in the second half of Thursday night’s NWOAL showdown with Patrick Henry.
By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
DELTA (February 6, 2025) – It was a tournament atmosphere at “The Jungle” in Delta on Thursday night as the Panthers hosted the Patrick Henry Patriots with the NWOAL title on the line.
A Patriot win would cap off a perfect season in league play while a Delta win would give the Panthers a share of the NWOAL crown.
After a fast start by the home team, the Patriots fought their way back with a dominating performance on the glass for a 62-44 win and their first league title since 2006.
It was Delta with an 8-0 run to start the contest as Abbey Todd drilled a triple from the right corner, Anna Lohman scored on an inbounds play before Keagyn Gillen added a bucket and went 1/2 at line.
Ella Christman would get PH on the board with a layup and Ada Christman would get the first of many Patrick Henry offensive boards for a put back to make it 8-4.
A left wing triple by Lohman and a bucket inside from Addison Wyse helped push the lead to 13-6 but the Patriots got the last five points of the quarter, all by Carys Crossland, to draw within 13-11 after one.
Kasey Schwiebert’s field goal for PH tied the game at 13 in the opening moments of the second but Lohman and Kendall Sprow answered back to give Delta a 17-13 lead.
The Patriots would use a 7-2 spurt to grab their first lead of the night as Ada Christman scored off an offensive rebound before tallying another field goal, and Sophie Guelde went 2/3 at the stripe for a 20-19 lead with 2:50 to go in the half.
Ella Christman and Kasey Nelson would then add layups before a 5/7 stretch at the free throw line for PH, and Christman ended what was an 11-2 Patriot run to close the half with stick back to make the score 31-21 at halftime.
Delta stayed within striking distance to start the third as Wyse scored inside and Todd added two free throws and a three ball to trim the deficit slightly at 36-28.
Patrick Henry would then take command of the game by going on a 12-1 run that began with Crossland hitting a deep triple from in front of the PH bench to make it 39-28.
A Schwiebert score after an offensive rebound continued the run before two more scores from Ada Christman and a bucket from Ella Christman ballooned the lead to 48-29.
A couple scores from Gillen temporarily stemmed the tide but Ada Christman and Schwiebert rung the bell again as the Patriots led 53-33 going to the fourth.
Delta made a run to open the final frame as Lohman turned in a three-point play and then went 2/2 at the line before Sprow added a layup off a Patrick Henry turnover to make it 53-40.
The Patriots answered to halt any momentum the Panthers had as Schwiebert canned a triple from the left corner to put the lead at 56-40.
Ada Christman’s 18 points paced the Patriots along with 21 rebounds. All totaled, the Patriots owned a 47-26 rebounding advantage, with 24 of those coming on the offensive glass.
Ella Christman and Schwiebert were also in double figures with 12 each. Lohman had 17 to top Delta, who shot just 15/53 (28%) from the floor.
PATRICK HENRY (62) – Nelson 4; C. Crossland 8; Guelde 4; Schwiebert 12; E. Christman 12; A. Christman 18; K. Crossland 4; Totals: 16-4-18 – 62
DELTA (44) – Lohman 17; Todd 8; Kruger 0; Friess 0; Sprow 8; Wyse 4; Gillen 7; Totals: 11-4-10 – 44
PHHS 11 20 22 9 – 62
DHS 13 8 12 11 – 44
Junior Varsity: PH, 30-22
GAME STATISTICS
PH: FG – 20/56 (36%); FT – 18/31 (58%; Rebounds – 47 (24 offensive); Turnovers – 23; DELTA: FG – 15/53 (28%); FT – 10/15 (67%); Rebounds – 26 (8 offensive); Turnovers – 19
