JACKSON CENTER — Botkins was a bit of a one-man show at times last year with Carter Pleiman, who is starting as a freshman at Heidelberg.

The Trojans have had a balanced attack so far this year and are off to an undefeated start.

“When you graduate (someone like that), there’s a lot of room for people to expand their roles,” Botkins third-year coach Phil Groves said. “Some of these guys were living in Carter’s shadow last year, and now they get a chance to really show what they are capable of doing.”

Botkins improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Shelby County Athletic League play with a 47-42 win at Jackson Center on Tuesday.

It was the Trojans’ first test of the year after three lopsided victories to start.

Botkins scored the first eight points and led by double digits throughout most of the first three quarters. Jackson Center trailed by nine points early in the fourth but battled back to take a 42-41 lead after a basket by Reed Platfoot with about 2:30 left.

But Botkins held the Tigers scoreless the rest of the way while scoring six points itself. J.J. Meyer made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch, Rylyn Paul made a jumper off the glass and Jordan Herzog split a pair of free throws.

The Trojans forced turnovers on two of Jackson Center’s last four possessions and prevented any second-chance shots on the other two.

“I love how our guys face and handle adversity,” Groves said. “Some teams would have quit and rolled over when we lost that lead, but our guys kept fighting. I think they know what’s at stake. They know they’re playing against one of the top teams in the area. They had to come ready to play and fight for 32 minutes.”

Meyer, a senior guard, scored in double figures for the first time with a team-high 17 points. Doseck scored 11 and Paul scored 10.

Doseck, a junior, and Paul, a senior, have scored in double figures in each game. Junior post Russell Lenhart has scored nine or more points three times.

Lenhart and Herzog, a senior, have been leading the team in the post. Botkins is without junior post Colton Pleiman (Carter’s younger brother), but he is expected to return soon.

Doseck has averaged a team-best 18 points per game.

“Everybody’s role has gotten bigger, and everybody has taken on the challenge and have improved throughout the summer,” Groves said. “It’s everybody, every night. We’ve got six or seven guys. It’s hard for teams to focus on one guy because we have six or seven guys who can step up at any time. That’s a great attribute for a team to have.”

The Trojans look to have a good chance to keep their undefeated start going through the holidays. They’re scheduled to host Fairlawn (0-4, 0-3) on Friday and Houston (2-3, 1-1) on Dec. 22.

A big SCAL game against undefeated Russia is scheduled for Jan. 2 at the Botkins Athletic Center.

“Our kids come to work every day and play with such a high level of intensity,” Groves said. “They buckle down and they work hard every day. All the compliments go to them. It’s a great group of guys.”

Jackson Center looking for first win, Fort Loramie wins first game

Jackson Center dropped to 0-3 with Tuesday’s loss and will be looking for its first victory under new head coach Aaron Klopfenstein when it travels to Fort Loramie on Friday.

Senior guard Lucas Hartle led Jackson Center with 21 points while Platfoot finished with 13. Platfoot, a senior, led the squad with 18 points in a 51-41 loss to Coldwater on Saturday while Lucas Heitkamp, a junior, scored a team-high 16 in a 53-45 season-opening loss to Russia.

All three of the team’s losses have come to undefeated opponents. Saturday’s loss was the program’s first ever to Coldwater.

Fort Loramie picked up its first win under first-year coach Mitch Westerheide when it beat Fort Recovery 46-45 on the road on Tuesday. The squad lost 63-34 at Botkins in its season opener on Friday.

The Redskins took a 35-30 lead over the Indians heading into the fourth quarter, but Fort Recovery battled back to tie it. Fort Loramie missed a potential game-winner at the end of regulation, and the Indians missed a potential game-winner with three seconds left in overtime.

Max Maurer, a junior, led Fort Loramie (1-1) with 15 points, seven of which came in the first quarter. Eli Heitkamp scored 11.

Sidney wins third in a row

The Yellow Jackets earned their third straight win by beating Stebbins 60-49 on the road in a Miami Valley League game on Tuesday.

The squads were tied 15-15 at the end of the first quarter, but Sidney used a 23-8 scoring edge in the second to take control.

Junior guard A’Zon Steele led the Yellow Jackets (3-1, 2-1 MVL Valley Division) with 21 points and had six rebounds and four steals. Jayce Daniel scored 15 points and had seven rebounds and Julius Spradling scored 13 points and had five steals. Ethan New scored eight points and had seven rebounds, two steals and two assists.

Sidney is scheduled to host West Carrollton (2-0, 2-0) on Friday. The Pirates will be playing their first road game on Friday; they kept their undefeated start going with a 43-34 win over Piqua on Tuesday.

Reach Bryant Billing at 937-538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter and @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook.