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CELINA - The boys and girls basketball doubleheader between Parkway and Celina came up with a pair of competitive games and included a little bonus basketball.
Colbie Smith's bucket with 18.9 seconds remaining in regulation allowed Parkway to tie Celina, then the Panthers outscored the Bulldogs 7-4 in the extra session to get the 43-40 overtime win in the first game of Tuesday's twin bill at the Fieldhouse.
In the nightcap, the Panther boys took the lead for good two minutes into the first quarter and fended off the Bulldogs the rest of the way to pick up a 42-35 win to complete the sweep.
Parkway 43, Celina 40 (OT)
Celina's Kenlee Holstad goes up for a layup against Parkway.
The game went back and forth, culminating in 10 ties and six lead changes in the contest.
Early on, Celina looked primed to take control of the game late in the first half, using a 7-0 run to go up 23-17 and taking a 25-21 lead to the half. Celina went up as much as 28-21 in the third quarter after a Kenlee Holstad 3-pointer, but the Panthers roared back, tying the game at 28-all with 2:12 to play in the quarter on a Brittyn Bruns trey. Each team hit a free throw down the stretch to make it 29-all heading into the fourth quarter.
The teams traded short leads through the quarter, with Celina going up 36-34 after an Alex Kimmel free throw with 1:10 to play. Parkway tried to work the ball to either Bruns for an open shot or inside to Megan Hughes, but it was Smith who got a shot to drop while being fouled with 18.9 seconds remaining. Smith missed the free throw, but the Panthers got the rebound, but were unable to break the deadlock at the buzzer.
Celina's Rachel Rammel (4) and Alex Kimmel defend Parkway's Megan Hughes during Tuesday's girls basketball game at the Fieldhouse. The Panthers defeated the Bulldogs in overtime.
"We got the ball and got a great shot at the end (of regulation)," said Parkway girls coach Dan Williamson. "We had a great shot that didn't fall. Celina played well in the first half. Fortunately, they cooled off in the second half."
"Little things here. Little things there. They just kind of add up," said Celina girls coach Bret Baucher. "We shot 50% from the free throw line, that plays a factor. We kind of got cold in the third quarter."
Brinley Korte put Celina in front first in the OT with a 3-pointer, but Hughes countered with a trey of her own seconds later. Both teams missed shots on their next possessions, then Celina turned the ball over on a jump ball. Hughes was fouled with 40 seconds to play and made both shots to break the tie at 41-39. On the Bulldogs' next possession, Holstad was fouled and went to the line with 21.6 seconds remaining, but only made the back-end of the two shots. Bruns was fouled and made the first free throw, but missed the second. Rachel Rammel got the board and tried to go coast-to-coast for the layup, but missed. Bruns rebounded and was fouled, making one more free throw with just over a second remaining to seal the contest.
"I was confident our girls could make enough plays down the stretch," said Williamson. "It wasn't pretty, but we found a way to get it done."
"I'm proud of the girls to keep battling," said coach Baucher. "We grew from Saturday (an overtime loss to Jackson Center) and played much better in the fourth quarter and overtime tonight."
Hughes finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds for Parkway (4-2). Bruns added 11 points and nine rebounds.
Holstad led Celina with 11 points. Alaina Vehorn and Korte each added eight points.
Parkway 42, Celina 35
Celina's Gavin Wicker (11) goes up to block the shot of Parkway's Trevor Stearns.
The lone tie of the game came 27 seconds into the game when Celina's Gavin Wicker matched Trevor Stearns' opening bucket with one of his own to make it 2-all. Stearns broke the tie with 5:53 to play in the opening quarter with a bucket, giving Parkway the lead it would hold throughout the rest of the game.
The Panthers briefly got a double digit lead at 19-8 with 5:49 to play in the first half on a Brayden Bruns 3-pointer.
The rest of the game kept a constant formula - Celina would get within striking distance of the Panthers, but never close enough to tie or lead, before Parkway built the lead back up to a safe total.
"It was real important to get off to a good start," said Parkway coach Doug Hughes. "We were embarrassed at home on Friday by a good Versailles team. Came back Saturday morning for a spirited practice. I thought our guys responded really well tonight."
"Couldn't buy a basket for a stretch," said Celina coach Adam Johns, whose squad shot 33% from the floor in the contest. "We had a rough stretch in the second quarter with turnovers (eight). We weren't as aggressive as we needed to be attacking the lane."
In the second half, 11 points was the biggest lead for the Panthers as Parkway briefly went up 37-26 with just under four minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Celina got it back to within single digits seconds later on a Wicker trey and got to within five in the final 72 seconds on a Kaiden Werntz hoop-and-harm 3-point play, but Parkway hit a couple of free throws down the stretch to stop the threat.
"It's tough to constantly climb that mountain," said Johns. "We need to hit a shot, it feels you've worn out your welcome."
Celina's Kaiden Werntz (5) deflects the ball away from Parkway's Ethan Pond during Tuesday's game at the Fieldhouse.
Stearns finished with 13 to lead Parkway (2-2) with Xavier Samples adding 10 points. Four others came up with points at clutch times, something coach Hughes liked to see.
"That's what this team is about - everyone stepping up and making plays," said Hughes. "Everybody has an important role on this team. We really have to continue to focus on that."
Wicker scored 10 of his game-high 18 points in the second half to lead Celina (1-3). Werntz added 10 points.
Parkway has its Midwest Athletic Confernece matchups with Fort Recovery, with the girls at Rockford on Thursday before the boys head to Fort Site Fieldhouse on Friday. Celina will face Van Wert with the girls back at the Fieldhouse on Thursday and the boys heading north to the Cougar Den on Friday.
