BOTKINS — Riverside stayed close in the second half of a nonconference game on Tuesday but Botkins held on to earn a 46-41 win.

The Trojans led 26-24 at halftime and used a 9-7 scoring advantage in the third quarter and 11-10 advantage in the fourth to seal the victory. Ethan Butcher scored nine of his game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter to help Botkins win.

Zane Paul added 12 points for Botkins (6-5, 2-4 Shelby County Athletic League), while Elliott Goubeaux scored seven.

It’s the third consecutive nonconference win for the Trojans. They beat Newton 65-49 last Saturday and Ridgemont 72-40 on Dec. 30.

The Trojans jumped out to an 18-14 lead by the end of the first quarter.

“Tonight’s game really showed the importance of every possession,” Riverside coach Seth Bodenmiller said. “In the first half, we gave them too many easy looks on offense. Then in the second half, we had a lot of poorly timed miscues on both ends of the floor. Every time we got their lead down to one, they would score four or six in a row to keep their distance.”

Lane Willoby led Riverside with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Wyatt Auflick scored eight points. The Pirates made 14-of-29 field goal attempts (48.3 percent) and outrebounded Botkins 21-13.

Riverside (4-6, 2-0 Northwest Central Conference) hosts Lima Perry on Friday for a conference game.

“We have three league games over the next 10 days, so we have to get back to work tomorrow and get things going in the right direction,” Bodenmiller said.

Minster 80, Coldwater 48

Minster put away Tuesday’s Midwest Athletic Conference game with a 28-8 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats built a 20-14 lead by the end of the first and extended it to 40-25 at halftime. Coldwater ate into the lead a bit with a 15-12 scoring advantage in the third quarter.

Isaac Schmiesing led Minster with 34 points and had six rebounds and five assists. Mike Ketner and Alex Lehmkuhl scored 10 points each, and Cody Frericks scored eight points and brought down 16 rebounds.

The Wildcats shot 28 for 52 (53.8 percent) from the field and 11 for 12 from the free-throw line. Minster outrebounded Coldwater 34-20.

Marcus Bruns led Coldwater with 12 points while Ben Wenning scored nine. The Cavaliers (5-5) shot 18 for 55 (32.7 percent) from the field.

Minster (6-2, 2-0 MAC) continues conference play on Friday at home against St. Henry.

Girls basketball

Russia 46, St. Marys 35

Russia used a 13-4 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter to pull away from St. Marys on Tuesday.

Russia senior guard Whitney Pleiman scored five points in the fourth and finished with 12 points. Laurissa Poling scored 12 points and Jenna Cordonnier added 11, including six in the third quarter.

Russia made 17 field goals and 9-of-12 free-throw attempts, while St. Marys made nine field goals and 13-of-17 free-throw attempts.

The Raiders led 12-10 at the end of the first quarter and 22-20 at halftime. They extended their lead to four points with a 13-11 advantage in the third quarter before running away late.

Syd Cisco led St. Marys with 15 points while Lauren Cisco scored 10.

Russia (10-3, 5-1 Shelby County Athletic League) plays next on Thursday at Houston.

Bellefontaine 54, Sidney 44

Bellefontaine jumped out to a 16-6 lead after the first quarter, and the teams played even from there.

The Chieftains had a 13-12 scoring advantage in the third quarter, and Sidney had a 14-13 advantage in the fourth. Both squads scored 12 in the third.

Alina Kindle led the Yellow Jackets with 17 points while Kyana Johnson scored 11. Emily Mitchell led Bellefontaine with 21 while Aubrey Stolly scored 12.

Sidney (2-10, 2-4 Greater Western Ohio Conference American North) plays at Butler on Saturday in conference action.

Bradford 50, Fairlawn 37

Bradford used a 12-5 scoring advantage in the second quarter to jumpstart a win over Fairlawn on Tuesday.

The Jets trailed 13-10 at the end of the first quarter, but Bradford gradually pulled away. The Railroaders outscored Fairlawn 11-10 in the third quarter and 14-12 in the fourth.

Lauren Dudgeon led Fairlawn with 17 points while MaCalla Huelskamp scored seven.

The Jets (3-11, 0-6 SCAL) play again next Tuesday at home against Botkins.

New Knoxville 54, Waynesfield-Goshen 34

The Rangers ran away from Waynesfield-Goshen with a big second half on Tuesday.

New Knoxville outscored the Tigers 13-9 in the third quarter and 11-4 in the fourth. The Rangers led 16-13 after the first quarter and 30-22 at halftime.

Samantha Trego led New Knoxville with 17 points and Morgan Jurosic scored 15. Erin Scott added nine and Morgan Leffel added eight. The Rangers made 20 field goals and 10-of-18 free-throw attempts.

New Knoxville (6-8, 0-3 MAC) travels to Delphos St. Johns on Thursday for a conference game.

Other scores: Fort Recovery 49, Jackson Center 42.