The Blazers hosted the Panthers of Twin Valley South on Friday in a WOAC Matchup. The Blazers had a sluggish start to the game and were down 10-0 about midway through the first quarter, before they were able to get on the board. After one the Blazers were down 16-7. NT battled in the second to erase the deficit and go into the half down 1, 24-23. A strong 3rd quarter on both ends of the floor saw the Blazers take a lead into the 4th quarter. Some midseason fatigue set in and the Blazers struggled to get offense going and the Panthers took advantage and was able to tie the game late in the 4th. NT struggled to execute to get the last shot off in regulation and everyone got some extra basketball on this night. The Blazers hung on for a 54-51 victory despite going missing 6 free-throws down the stretch in OT, something the Blazers have to get better at. Another team win with contributions and quality minutes from everyone that stepped on the floor. Tayden Blevins led NT with 22 points, 10 Rebounds, and 5 Assists, Kellen Laird followed up with 14 Points, 12 Rebounds, and 6 Assists, Daniel Turpin finished with 10 Points and 9 Rebounds, Lucas Alexander finished with 6 points hitting two big three's, Nick Brubaker chipped in 2 points to round out the scoring. Ethan Osswald, Jonah Brinkley, Talon Bousman, Korbin Sullivan, and Mason Cordle all played quality minutes on both ends of the floor and played solid defense which ultimately led to the victory for the Blazers.
The Blazers came into the new year and extended to a 3 game win streak. They have a tough matchup this Friday when they square off with the always tough Arcanum Trojans. Due to the OSU Playoff Game this has been moved to a 4:30pm JV Start and 6:00pm Varsity Start at Arcanum High School.
