Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

Parkway hits first 11 shots from the field in blowout

By Gary R. Rasberry
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

Parkway's Danny Knapke, left, brings the ball up the floor against the defense of an Adams Central defender during their boys basketball game on Tuesday night.

ROCKFORD - Parkway made its first 11 shots of the game and finished with a nearly 60-percent shooting night in beating interstate rival Adams Central, 78-45, on Tuesday at Panther Gymnasium.
The Panthers, who scored 80 in their first game, improve to 2-0 as the Jets fall to 0-2.
Parkway found the hot hand early, taking the lead for good with 4:53 left in the first quarter. Jordan Thompson hit all five of his field-goal tries in the first quarter with Josh Fisher a perfect 3-for-3. The Panthers took a 22-11 first-quarter lead on 11-of-11 shooting.
"That was a pretty good start for us," said Parkway coach Doug Hughes.
Eventually, Parkway would miss, but the Panthers still shot a healthy 65 percent (17-of-26) in the first half to lead 36-21 at the half.
If there was anything Hughes could be unhappy with, it was the rebounding advantage the Jets had against Parkway. In the first half, Adams Central held a 14-12 board advantage with seven coming on the offensive end. Parkway took over in outboarding the Jets 24-14 in the second half.
"I wasn't real happy with our aggressiveness, our desire on the boards," said Hughes. "That was something that really changed in the second half. We really got after them at halftime. We have to do much better being aggressive and rebounding the ball."
Parkway also did the job with defensive pressure, forcing the Jets into 20 turnovers in the game, as Fisher got several steals and turned them into easy buckets.
"Craig Bills did a real nice job in that area, as well as Josh and Marcus Meyer," said Hughes. "I thought they did a real nice job."
The Panthers' Big Three - Thompson, Fisher and Derik Snyder - led the way as all three had 19 points. Thompson was 8-of-10 from the field and also pulled down 12 rebounds. Fisher was 8-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-6 from behind the three-point line. Snyder was 9-of-16 to get his 19. Levon Archer came off the bench to score nine points.
The Jets were led by Tyler Roach's 11 points.
Parkway is back in action on Friday, hosting Van Wert for a 6 p.m. contest.
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

Parkway's Craig Bills shoots over an Adams Central defender during their boys basketball game on Tuesday night in Rockford. Parkway won 78-45.

Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

Parkway's Jordan Thompson tied the team lead for scoring with 19 points in the Panthers' 78-45 win over Adams Central on Tuesday night in Rockford.

Additional online story on this date
Because Mercer County currently has the lowest unemployment rate in Ohio, some local business owners are having difficulty recruiting a skilled workforce, according to the Mercer County Retention and Expansion Task Force. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
Despite a recent outpouring to area food pantries, supplies again are dwindling and the need continues to grow.
Food pantry directors in Mercer and
WAPAKONETA - The final vote count is in and there are no changes in the results of the Nov. 6 election in Auglaize County even though 25 votes were rejected for various reasons.
NEW BREMEN - Village councilors played Santa Claus on Tuesday night unanimously approving a 3 percent pay raise for full-time and permanent part-time employees. The percentage is consistent with amounts offered in other communities throughout the area, according to Village Administrator Wayne York.
There was never any concern from Tim Goodwin that a move up a division would hurt his team.
Marion Local simply went 14-0 in the first 14 games of the season and will play for a Division V state title on Friday against Youngstown Ursuline at 11 a.m. at fabled Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon.
When it was discovered that Marion Local would be moving up a division, a number of Division VI coaches likely breathed a sigh of relief.
The Flyers were a dominant team in the small-school division, winning three state titles and a runners-up trophy in seven seasons starting in 2000.
COLUMBUS (AP) - Multi-threat quarterbacks and a 2,000-yard rusher, along with three steely eyed defenders headline the 2007 Associated Press Division III and IV All-Ohio high school football teams announced Tuesday.
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
The Celina swim team opened the season with a sweep of Van Wert in a Western Buckeye League dual meet at Van Wert on Tuesday.