(January 23rd, 2015) – PETTISVILLE: In Buckeye Border Conference action, the Blackbirds of Pettisville played host to the Eagles of North Central on Friday night. Pettisville overwhelmed their guests early on, and never allowed the Eagles to claw their way back into the game.
When the contest was finished, the final score read 58-35 in the Blackbirds’ favor.
Tate Kauffman, a Pettisville senior, got the Blackbirds going in the first quarter, scoring 4 points in the period. This led a 12 point outing in the opening stanza for the home team.
On the other end of the floor, Jordan Bailey knocked down a three-point shot. Other than that, however, not much was working for the Eagles. They produced just 4 points in the first period.
It was Caleb Rychener who led Pettisville through the second quarter. The 6’5” sophomore worked the paint to put up 4 points of his own. Kauffman hit a triple in the period as well, helpnig the Blackbird boys on their way to a 13 effort in that span.
North Central continued to struggle offensively in the second period. Senior Brady Zuver and junior Ethan Douglass each contributed a basket in what amounted to a 5 point period for the Eagle boys. At halftime, the team from Pioneer were down 25-9.
The Eagle offense took off coming out of the locker room. Bailey connected on another three, while four other North Central players registered points int the third period. They more than doubled their point production in that single quarter, earning 13 points thanks to their team effort.
Pettisville did not slow up in terms of scoring, though. Gabe beck, Stuart Yoder, and Noah Miller all had successful field goal attempts as the Blackbirds added 15 points to their collective score.
Bailey tacked on 4 more points to his total in the fourth quarter, as did sophomore Eagle Kaleb Geiser. Josh Roesener put a long ranged shot through the bottom of the net as well. Senior Jordan Reeves took the ball to the rim hard to register his only field goal of the game. Overall, North Central recorded another 13 point quarter.
For the Blackbirds, Rychener used his size to convert on 3 more close ranged shots for 6 points. Kauffman and Yoder scored 2 more points apiece down the stretch also. Pettisville closed out the contest with an 18 point final period.
For the game, Kauffman led all scoreres with 15 points. Rychener was close behind with 14 points of his own. Miller added 9 points to the Blackbird collective score, while Beck scored 8 points in the victory.
The hot shooting of Bailey propelled him to a 12 point evening for the Eagles. Douglass contributed 4 points to the losing effort, while Roesener and Geiser added 5 and 6 points, respectively.
Free throws played a huge role in determining the outcome of this game. North Central went 4 for 12 from the line, good for a 33% success rate. Pettisville, on the other hand, had an outstanding night from the charity stripe. They made an impressive 21 of their 23 attempts, meaning they connected on 91% of their shots.
North Central gave a valiant effort, but Pettisville was just too much for them on Saturday. The Blackbirds, on the other hand, are peaking at the right time, winning 4 of their last 5 games.