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Streaks Topple Bulldogs In Overtime
For Defiance, that team could very well be Archbold. The Streaks (11-3) made the trek to Defiance, Tuesday, Jan. 26, to face what looked like, at least on paper, one of the better Bulldog boys basketball squads they’ve faced. The Bulldogs stood at 11- 1 coming into the game, and were rated sixth by the Associated Press in Division II. They have height in 6-6 Steven Hammersmith and 6- 8 Eric Stapleton. They even had speed in Alex Nofziger. But the Streaks aren’t exactly lacking size and speed, and have won five of the past six contests with the Bulldogs. Four quarters weren’t enough for this tournamentatmosphere crowd. The Streaks nailed big foul shots down the stretch in overtime to claim a 56-50 victory. “This was a great win for us over here at The Pound,” said Doug Krauss, AHS head coach. “Archbold is a good team and have been a good team for a lot of years,” said Kirk Lehman, DHS head coach. “We missed shots. You have to credit Archbold’s defense. They pressure the basketball, and we just never got comfortable shooting and getting the ball into the post. “Archbold did a good job guarding the post and the perimeter, and we couldn’t get an offensive rebound. That is why they won the game.” While the Streaks hit 11- 15 shots at the foul line in the overtime, the first half was not as generous, as they connected on just 7-14. For the game AHS was 22- 34 from the foul line. Defiance Jumps Out To 13-5 Lead Defiance jumped out to a 10-2 advantage and held a 13-5 lead after the first eight minutes. The Dogs kept building the lead as Anthony Kidston scored four of his six points, hitting a jumper and driving the baseline for two more. Hammersmith added a deuce, and the Bulldogs led 19-9 and were looking to pull away. Archbold’s Telly Fricke put a halt to the run, nailing a three-pointer. Luke Kammeyer hit a foul shot, and Micah McQuillan scored on Kammeyer’s second missed foul shot. Fricke, who led Archbold with 18 points, buried another three to close the difference to 19-18. The squads exchanged baskets to finish the half with Defiance leading 22-21. “Telly is starting to play like the Telly Fricke we had planned on at the beginning,” said Krauss. “I think he is starting to be more assertive and take command of the game at both ends of the court.” Tied At 45 Archbold led 36-34 after the third and was ahead 43- 40 with 1:33 left in regulation. Garrett Morton went to the charity stripe for AHS with 1:02 left and missed the front end of a one-andone. Collin Walker hauled in the rebound, and the Blue Streaks spread the floor, looking for the last shot, when Defiance fouled Corey Walker. He made both free throws for a 45-42 lead with 43 seconds left. Defiance’s Jacob Moore got off a three, but the shot caromed off the rim. Collin Walker grabbed the rebound and was fouled immediately with 30 seconds left. Archbold was now shooting the double bonus, but Walker’s shots missed the mark. Nofziger, who led Defi- ance with 13 points, drained a three to knot the score at 45 with 10 seconds left. Fricke missed a desperation shot, sending the game into OT. “Obviously we were glad to go into overtime,” said Lehman. “Momentum can change so quickly in this game, and we didn’t play well enough as far as doing little things like getting rebounds.” OT Neither team hit a field goal in OT; both used the foul line. The Bulldogs connected on 5-5, but Archbold capitalized on 15 trips to the line, connecting on 11. Fricke hit 6-6 in the closing seconds for the 56-50 win. “We like Telly at the foul line in those types of situations,” said Krauss. “He usually knocks them down for us. “Shooting foul shots is contagious. If you miss a couple then it seems you miss a couple more; when you make them you can put a streak together. We missed them early but we will take them late.”
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