SIDNEY — Sidney had won 30 consecutive Miami Valley League games before Thursday. The winning streak ended against the same opponent who had last beaten the Yellow Jackets: Vandalia-Butler.

Sidney was stiff for most of Thursday’s game against the Aviators, and while it rallied late, it lost 40-38 and dropped into a tie for first place in overall MVL standings.

Sidney (8-2, 7-1 MVL Valley Division) struggled to find shots against Butler’s zone and to get offensive rebounds. The Aviators led 13-3 at the end of the first quarter and 22-8 late in the second before Sidney scored the last six points to pull within eight at halftime.

The Aviators led by double digits most of the second half. Ayla Washburn made a basket with about 1:25 left in the fourth to give Butler a 39-29 lead.

But Sidney made a furious comeback try in the last minute.

Senior guard Kiara Hudgins made a shot along the baseline with 1:14 left to cut the gap to eight points, then Kelis McNeal stole an inbounds pass and made a shot to cut it to six.

Butler turned it over on a 10-second violation, and Hudgins made a jumper with about 35 seconds left to trim the deficit to 39-35. Hudgins then deflected a pass and threw it to Jordan Scully in the left corner. Scully made a 3 with about 20 seconds left to trim it to 39-38.

After a timeout, sophomore guard Jada Shroyer intercepted Butler’s inbounds pass and threw it to Hudgins, who drove down the lane and had a pass deflected. Washburn grabbed it out of the air and was immediately fouled.

Washburn split a pair of free throws to push the gap to two points with 8.5 seconds left. Sidney worked the ball down the court, but Butler knocked it loose from Larkyn Vordemark on the left wing.

A scrum at midcourt resulted in a jump ball which gave Sidney possession with about 1.5 seconds left, but all the squad could do was work it back inbounds to Scully, who threw up a desperation heave from near half court just before the buzzer.

“The effort toward the end of the game was incredible,” Sidney coach Jamal Foster said. “We never questioned our fight. We just need our execution to be better. We need to make free throws and make more shots earlier to not get in that position.

“But they never quit, they never gave up. They showed heart. We’ve just got to play better in the three quarters ahead of that.”

Vordemark led Sidney with 15 points; it’s the fifth consecutive game she has led the squad in scoring.

Hudgins has been a do-it-all phenom; she leads the team in steals and assists and ranks second in rebounds. She scored 11 points and again was impactful all over the court.

“She’s the heart and engine of what we do,” Foster said of Hudgins. “She’s not scared of anything. She’s got the biggest heart out there. Her competitiveness will always drive us.

“For her to get in there and make some plays as a senior and as a leader, not only do we expect it, we need it. She leaves it out there every night.”

Natalie Schoenherr led the Aviators (7-2, 7-1 MVL Miami) with 17 points while Noel Smith scored 13. Each made three 3-pointers; Butler made eight 3’s, while Sidney made two.

The Yellow Jackets’ last MVL loss prior to Thursday was a 41-39 defeat to the Aviators in January of 2022 in Sidney.

Sidney is scheduled to travel to Tri-Village (8-1) on Saturday. The Patriots lost their three leading scorers from last year’s Division IV state title run to graduation but have rolled through most of their schedule so far; they’ve scored 55 or more points in every game but a 40-38 loss to Chaminade-Julienne (5-2).

Tri-Village sophomore center Kynnedi Hager, who is 6-foot-3, averages 14.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Bella Black averages 14 points, 8.6 rebounds and three assists per game.

“They have some size, they have some guards, and they’re clearly well-coached,” Foster said. “We’ll get in there, see some various defenses. They’ll try to slow us down. Hopefully we’ll react a little better to these zones we’ve been seeing the first half of the year.”

Anna falls in Miami East in New Bremen tourney

Anna lost 37-27 to Miami East in the championship game of New Bremen’s T&T Auto Holiday Tournament on Thursday.

The Vikings (10-0) led 10-5 at the end of the first quarter, 19-11 at halftime and 30-19 at the end of the third quarter.

Anna (6-4) beat New Bremen 35-21 on Wednesday in its first game in the tournament. The Rockets trailed 7-6 at the end of the first quarter but used an 11-2 scoring edge in the second to take a 17-9 halftime lead.

Anna hasn’t allowed more than 49 points in a game and has given up more than 40 twice.

The Rockets are scheduled to host Botkins on Thursday.

Fort Loramie to travel to Ottawa Glandorf

Fort Loramie (9-1) is scheduled to travel to undefeated Ottawa-Glandorf on Saturday for a nonconference game.

The Titans (10-0) stayed undefeated by edging Convoy Crestview 47-45 on the road on Thursday. They led 10-2 early but then struggled to score over the next two quarters. Crestview scored the last six points of the first and led 22-21 at halftime and 36-32 at the end of the third. The Titans rallied with a 15-9 scoring edge in the fourth.

Karsyn Erford, a sophomore guard, led Ottawa-Glandorf with 16 points.

Fort Loramie has won nine straight since losing to Miami East by three points in its season opener. The Redskins have scored 50 or more in their last five games, including in a 65-43 win over Versailles on Saturday. Four players scored in double figures, including Syler Albers, who had a team-high 18 points.

Ottawa-Glandorf beat Fort Loramie 53-48 last season. The Redskins won 60-31 on the road two seasons ago.

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