July 27, 2024
By Morgan Wenger
Tournament Director

Dalton and Norwayne found themselves in a first round chess match in the High School division. Defending champion Norwayne found themselves in a big hole early against a very physical Dalton team. Norwayne did not panic, and their perimeter shooting allowed them to catch Dalton by the game’s midpoint. Norwayne got three point field goals from Braden West, Tyson Hess, and Parker Metsker to close the gap. Braden West hit two more long balls to extend the lead. From there, Norwayne pulled away for a 30-19 victory. West led the Norwayne assault with 15 points. Brady Hignight scored nine points for Dalton in defeat.

The Globetrotters took their shot at Norwayne next. Fresh off a 30-22 win over Dalton, in which Kodah Allen had his talents on full display to the tune of 18 points, the Globetrotters locked up with Norwayne in a fierce back and forth affair. After burning up the nets from three point land in their first game, Norwayne did almost all of their damage inside of the arc against the Globetrotters. Kodah Allen had his dizzying array of offensive game on full display again for the Globetrotters. Allen drove to the basket, connected from mid range, and knocked in six three pointers as he amassed an impressive 24 points while trying to lead his team to the upset victory. Norwayne, once again, showed their championship mettle by clinching a 30-28 victory to remain undefeated in pool play. Tyson Hess (15 points) and Braden West (14 points) carried the scoring load for Norwayne.

In the other pool, Smithville outlasted Orrville 30-27 in an entertaining game between two evenly matched teams. Brayden Cox (12 points) and Michael Diehl (nine points) looked to have Orrville in full control of this game. Brennan Piatt (13 points) and Jax Riggenbach (12 points) hit two three pointers each down the stretch to swing the game in Smithville’s favor.

Orrville found themselves in a similar battle with the Globetrotters in their bracket challenge game. Malakhi Gray got in on the act for Orrville in this game. Gray used his combination of speed and strength to work his way inside for 10 points. Paired with the inside/outside game of Brayden Cox (11 points) and the shooting of Michael Diehl (two three pointers, six points), Orrville found themselves tied up at 27 late in the game for the second consecutive time. This time around, it was Kodah Allen who threw the three point dagger at Orrville. Allen’s game winning three pointer capped off a scintillating 26 point masterpiece for himself and a big win for the Globetrotters. Scoring from all three levels in every way imaginable, Allen’s efforts were again highlighted by his six made three point field goals.

Connor Preattle gets ready to defend against Dalton in the championship game

Norwayne outlasted Smithville 30-21 in their bracket challenge game to secure the top seed on the bracket. Parker Metsker led a balanced Norwayne attack with 11 points. Brennan Piatt continued his solid play by knocking down four long balls for his game high 12 points. Jax Riggenbach chipped in nine points in defeat for Smithville. The loss knocked Smithville down to the 3rd seed on the bracket.

Smithville opened up bracket play against an 0-3 Dalton team. Dalton quickly assumed control of this game. Matthew Heatwole controlled the boards inside while scoring eight points in the process. Coy Wenger and Brady Hignight added seven points apiece as part of Dalton’s balanced scoring. Brennan Piatt (17 points) did everything he could to keep Smithville alive, but Dalton secured the 30-23 win to move on to the semifinals.

The other side of the bracket found Orrville in another nip and tuck affair with the Hoopers. Michael Diehl (16 points) knocked down four three pointers to lead the way for Orrville, but Jaxson Gasser (13 points) and Alex Meinen (eight points) helped the Hoopers gut out a hard fought 27-25 win.

This earned the Hoopers a semifinal matchup with top seeded Norwayne. Norwayne had the upper hand in this game from the beginning. The defending champions dominated the game with ball movement, cutting, and driving. In a rare feat in this age of basketball, Norwayne scored all 30 of their points from inside the arc as they overwhelmed the younger Hoopers with repeated attacks on the basket. Braden West led the way with 12 points while Tyson Hess added another 10 points for Norwayne. Jaxson Gasser finished up his solid day with eight points to lead the Hoopers.

The semifinal rematch between the Globetrotters and Dalton had much more suspense. Dalton was looking to avenge the 30-22 loss they had incurred against the Globetrotters in pool play. Coy Wenger was on a mission in this game for Dalton. He knocked down two shots from outside the arc early in the game but was pounding his way inside for layups down the stretch. Kodah Allen’s exquisite offensive play (five three pointers, 21 points) kept the Globetrotters in the lead for most of the game, but the physical play of Dalton eventually wore them down. Coy Wenger ended up with 16 points while Brady Hignight added 10 points of his own to secure the 30-27 victory and championship game berth for Dalton.

Dalton’s Cinderella run came to an abrupt end in the championship game against Norwayne. Norwayne seemed to gain momentum throughout the tournament, and they were firing on all cylinders in this game. They built an insurmountable 17-3 lead early on, and then coasted to a dominant 30-16 thrashing from there. Tyson Hess nailed two three pointers as part of his 14 point effort to lead the champions, while Braden West scored eight points and Connor Preattle scored six points for the winners. Coy Wenger knocked down four three pointers in the second half of the game to pace Dalton with 12 points.

Norwayne (Connor Preattle, Braden West, Tyson Hess)

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