(February 7th, 2015) – PETTISVILLE: Typically, one would expect an opponent who is easily beatable when playing in a homecoming game. It makes things simpler, almost assuring a victory for the hometown boys, thus giving everyone something to celebrate.
That’s not how they do things in Pettisville, however.
Instead, the Blackbirds sought out a quality foe, setting their sights on the Pilots of Ayersville. The match-up against a strong Green Meadows Conference team did not pay off for Pettisville, however, as they lost the contest 49-32.
Ayersville pulled out to an early advantage, forcing Pettisville to climb uphill all game long. By the end of the first quarter, the Blackbird boys found themselves behind 16-8. Even though the scoring balanced out in the last three periods, this established degree of separation is what made the difference in the contest.
Quarter number 2 saw Pettisville fight back. While they weren’t able to outscore the Pilots in the period, they did stay close to them with an 11-9 margin. At the half, Pettisville was down 27-17. The third quarter occurred in a similar fashion, as the Blackbirds fell behind another 2 points, 10-8.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the boys of Pettisville were behind 37-25. They began the final period of play on a bit of a run, closing the gap back down to single digits on multiple occasions. Ayersville wouldn’t relent, though, and the Pilots reestablished and expanded upon their advantage, eventually handing Pettisville a 17 point loss.
Senior Noah Miller produced 11 points for the Blackbirds, leading the way for his team in the loss. Caleb Rychener, a sophomore, made his presence known inside with 6 hard fought points. Both Eli King and Josh Liechty put up 5 points on the evening as well.