By Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

DARKE COUNTY — Here are the boys and girls high school basketball scores from Dec. 15 – 17.

Dec. 15: Boys basketball Versailles 48 (2-0, 1-0) vs New Bremen 36 (1-3, 0-1)

The Tigers opened up their season at home with a win over MAC rivals New Bremen. With it being their first game of the season, it wasn’t a clean game. Head coach Travis Swank said the toughness from the team on defense gave them this win.

“Everything wasn’t pretty. You kind of expect that with getting guys late into the basketball season and only having not even 10 days of practice yet under our belts. We’re still going to be a work in progress, but what we liked here tonight was our toughness on the defensive end,” Swank said.

Versailles led 18-15 at halftime. The offense for the Tigers were making the right passes and getting the right shots. They just couldn’t get the shots to fall or couldn’t hold onto the pass.

But in the third quarter, Versailles outscored New Bremen, 21-12. The offense clicked in the third quarter.

Swank said in the first half, sophomore Ethan Wilker and senior Carson Heitkcamp carried the team offensively with six and eight points respectively. In the second half, the returning starters in senior A.J. Griesdorn, junior Jace Watren and sophomore Drake Ahrens led the team offensively.

The Cardinals did cut into the deficit and made it a 39-33 game with 5:26 left to play. The Tigers got back into a rhythm and got back out to a double-digit lead.

The rebounding for the Tigers also helped give them the win. Swank said with not being a tall team, it will take all five guys to rebound in a league where you have to give a complete effort in rebounding if you want to win games.

All five players on the court did their job rebounding and pulled away with the win. Swank said he likes this team and is confident they will get better as they are able to get more playing and practice time on the court.

“I liked how hard we played on both ends. Did we make mistakes offensively, did we miss bunnies, yes we did all those things. But hopefully those things come and go as we keep on gelling as a team, as we keep on getting some more practices under our belt,” Swank said.

The team toughed out a victory in front of large home crowd. Swank said he hopes this team can the tough, gritty team the community can keep on supporting. He also said it was the grittiness of the team that shined in this win.

Griesdorn led with 13 points. Ahrens had 10 points while Wilker and Heitkcamp finished with eight points.

The Tigers then went on the road and defeated Greeneview, 53-35. Versailles led 23-8 after the first quarter. They weren’t outscored in a quarter until the fourth, 8-12.

Ahrens led with 16 points and Watren had 12 points.

Versailles will host back to back games on Dec. 22 and 23. They will host Celina on the 22nd at 7:30 p.m. They will then play Fort Loramie at 6 p.m. at the Board Office.

A full game recap of the New Bremen game can be found on our website, dailyadvocate.com

Dec. 16: Boys basketball Tri-Village 75 (3-0, 2-0) vs Talawanda 24 (0-6, 0-2)

Tri-Village started the weekend with an 87-20 win over Tri-County North. They scored 36 points in the first quarter and led 56-10 at halftime. Senior Braden Keating led with 26 points and sophomore Trey Sagester had 22 points.

The Patriots continue to roll through the beginning of the season with a big win at home over Talawanda. Early on, it was a 7-7 game. Once Tri-Village started to get turnovers with their full court press, they went on a run and closed out the first quarter up 23-7.

Head coach Josh Sagester said it all started with their defense. They sparked the run that gave them control over the game the rest of the way.

“I thought we really set the tone defensively. Our guys out front are pretty relentless with their pressure and their positioning and they’re hungry,” Sagester said.

Talawanda scored their next points of the game with about four minutes left in the second quarter. From the guards to the forwards, everyone for Tri-Village locked in defensively.

The Patriots led 49-15 at halftime. Everyone was doing their job and executing their role. Sagester said the kids enjoy playing with each other. That helps make it easier for everyone to buy into their roles.

Even when the team was up big, they kept playing their style and shared the ball. Everyone stepped up and earned this win.

“We got a lot of guys being elite in their roles. Accepting and buying what we’re selling. I think that’s pretty apparent on the floor. Guys who are dirty work guys are doing the dirty work. Guys who can score the ball for us are doing those items,” Sagester said.

Players like senior Jayden Hollinger did their job cleaning the glass and finishing around the rim. Sagester said Hollinger has been a energizer for the team.

Players like freshman Dom Black has not only played his role, but has been adjusting to the varsity game. Sagester said he has seen Black get more comfortable on the floor everyday at practice or in a game.

The scorers on the team did their job as well. Sagester led the team with 20 points. Hollinger had 14 points, senior Tanner Printz had 11 and Keating had 10 points.

After a game against Newton on Dec. 19, they will then host Arcanum on Dec. 22 with a 6 p.m. JV start and then host Georgetown on Dec. 23 with a 4:30 p.m. JV start.

A full game recap of the Talawanda game can be found on our website, dailyadvocate.com

Boys basketball:

Ansonia (1-3, 0-2): The Tigers dropped both of their games this past weekend. They lost 41-38 to Dixie at home. The Greyhounds outscored the Tigers 20-5 in the fourth quarter to grab the win. Senior Ethan Reichert led the team with 15 points. Senior Matt Barga had 10 rebounds. The team shot 40% from the free throw line, 6 for 15.

They then lost to Fort Recovery at home, 41-29. Barga and Reichert each had 10 points in the game. Ansonia had 12 rebounds in the game. They did make five three-point shots in the game. After hosting Bradford on Dec. 19, they will then go to Twin Valley South on Dec. 22 for a 7:30 p.m. tip off.

Arcanum (3-2, 1-1): The Trojans started their weekend with a 67-23 loss at Preble Shawnee. Arcanum was behind early as Preble Shawnee led 28-3 after the first quarter.

The Trojans then won a close game against Middletown Madison, 51-48. Sophomore Regan Christ had 18 points to lead the team in the win. Senior Rylan Murray had 10 points. After a game against Dixie on Dec. 19, they will then go to Tri-Village on Dec. 22 and then host Legacy Christian on Dec. 23 with tip off set for 7:15 p.m.

Bradford (3-2, 2-0): The Railroaders defeated National Trail, 65-48, at home. Senior Hudson Hill had 28 points and went 6 for 8 from three-point range. Senior Landon Wills had a double-double with 17 points and 18 rebounds, breaking the career rebounding record at Bradford. Junior Owen Canan chipped in 13 points. As a team, they had 45 rebounds and were 9 for 15 from three-point range. After their game against Ansonia, they will host Tri-County North on Dec. 22 at 7:15 p.m.

Franklin Monroe 65 (4-0, 2-0) vs Mississinawa Valley 24 (1-4, 0-2):

The Jets pick up a road win over Mississinawa Valley on Dec. 15. Franklin Monroe led 45-6 at halftime. Mississinawa Valley started to play better basketball as they scored 18 points in the second half.

The Blackhawks then dropped a game to Covington the next day, 73-44. Senior Aron Hunt and sophomore Kyle Wehrkamp each had 10 points in the game. Freshman Cing Scott had nine points. The team did go 6 for 6 from the free throw line.

After hosting Preble Shawnee on Dec. 19, Franklin Monroe will travel to Dixie and Fairlawn, each a 7:30 p.m. tipoff, on Dec. 22 and Dec. 23 respectively. Mississinawa Valley will play National Trail on Dec. 19 and then host Newton on Dec. 22 at 7:15 p.m.

Greenville (0-5, 0-4): The Green Wave fall to Xenia, 74-41, on the road. Xenia outscored Greenville, 23-11, in the second quarter to gain a big lead. Junior Layne Hocker led with eight points as nine different players scored for the Green Wave. Senior TJ Barr and junior Owen McGreevey each had seven points. After a game against Stebbins, Greenville will travel to West Carrollton on Dec. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Girls basketball:

Ansonia (4-3, 1-2): The Lady Tigers fell behind early as they lost to St. Henry, 61-26. Ansonia was behind 21-5 after the first quarter. Sophomore Rose Barga led the team with 12 points. Freshman London Reichert had seven points. Ansonia will travel to Bradford on Dec. 21 for a 7:15 p.m. start and then host Mississinawa Valley on Dec. 23 starting with the JV at 11 a.m.

Bradford (1-5, 1-1): The Lady Railroaders lost to Legacy Christian, 69-34, at home. Freshman Vivian Harleman led the team with 13 points. Senior Brooklyn Crickmore had seven points. They will host Ansonia for their next game before they play in the Covington Holiday Tournament.

Greenville (2-4, 0-4): The Lady Wave fell to Xenia on the road, 51-35. Greenville held a 12-10 lead after the first quarter but Xenia went on to outscore Greenville 15-3 in the second quarter. Freshman Megan Loudy led the team with 15 points. Junior Megan Lind had 11 points and junior Avery Baumann had 10 points. The team did get 14 steals in the game. Next up for Greenville will be a home game against Stebbins on Dec. 20 at 7:15 p.m.

Tri-Village (6-1, 3-0): For the first time since March 5, 2022 the Lady Patriots have lost a game. Tri-Village fell on the road to Chaminade Julienne, 40-38. Sophomore Kynnedi Hager led the team with 13 points. Senior Bella Black had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Tri-Village was 2 for 7 from the three-point line. They will host Newton on Dec. 21 starting at 6:45 p.m.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]