GREENVILLE — Sidney gradually pulled away to earn a 54-37 Miami Valley League crossover victory over Greenville on Friday.
Sidney took an 8-7 lead by the end of the first quarter and used a 15-7 scoring advantage in the second to boost its lead to 23-13 at halftime.
The Yellow Jackets outscored Greenville 13-9 in the third quarter and 18-14 in the fourth to pull away.
Camden Vordemark and Lathan Jones each scored 10 points for Sidney while Cedric Johnson scored nine.
Sidney (10-1, 8-1 MVL) retook sole possession of first place in both overall MVL standings and MVL Valley Division standings on Friday thanks to its win and a loss by Stebbins.
The Yellow Jackets lost to Tippecanoe on Tuesday, and the two squads and Stebbins entered Friday night with one league loss apiece.
The Indians lost 62-59 to West Carrollton to drop to 7-2 overall in league play. Sidney has a one-game lead over both Stebbins and the Pirates in the Valley Division.
Sidney had a half-game lead over Miami Division leader Tippecanoe in overall MVL standings entering Friday’s play, but the Red Devils lost 39-37 at Vandalia-Butler to drop to 6-2 in conference play. The Yellow Jackets now have a 1.5-game lead over Tippecanoe in overall MVL standings.
Friday’s game completed the first round of MVL play for Sidney and Greenville (2-9, 0-9). The Yellow Jackets will start their second round on Tuesday by hosting Fairborn (1-10, 1-8), which they beat by 15 points on Dec. 3.
Jackson Center 47, Russia 29
Russia pulled within two points of Jackson Center in a Shelby County Athletic League game on Friday but the Tigers pulled away from there to earn a win at Clair C. Naveau Gymnasium.
Jackson Center took a 9-3 lead by the end of the first quarter and led 20-12 at halftime. Russia started the third quarter with an 8-2 run to pull within 22-20, but the Tigers finished the quarter with an 8-0 run, then outscored the Raiders 17-9 in the fourth.
Clay Akers led Jackson Center with 15 points while Aidan Reichert scored 12. Xavier Philpot led the Raiders with eight points.
Russia (5-7, 2-4 SCAL) will play next on Tuesday at Anna.
Anna 66, Botkins 38
After a close first quarter, Anna pulled away to earn a big SCAL victory on Friday in Botkins.
The Rockets took a 15-12 lead by the end of the first quarter and outscored Botkins 18-12 in the second to take a 33-24 halftime lead. They finished the game with a 22-4 scoring edge in the third and 11-10 edge in the fourth.
No scoring, statistics or other information was reported.
Botkins (8-4, 3-3) will play next on Saturday when it hosts Lima Bath.
Lehman Catholic 31, Hardin Northern 25
The Cavaliers earned a Northwest Central Conference win and its fourth consecutive win on Friday in Sidney.
Lehman took an 8-5 lead by the end of the first, and the teams traded points to a 14-11 halftime score. Each squad scored six points in the third quarter and Lehman finished the victory off with an 11-8 scoring advantage in the fourth.
Brendan O’Leary led the squad with 12 points while Luke Frantz scored 10. Justin Chapman had 10 rebounds.
Coldwater 44, Minster 42
Minster couldn’t complete a late comeback try in a Midwest Athletic Conference loss on Friday at Coldwater.
The Cavaliers built a 10-9 lead by the end of the first quarter and used a 19-12 scoring edge in the second to take a 29-21 halftime lead. They outscored Minster 10-9 in the fourth to push the lead to nine points. The Wildcats outscored Coldwater 12-5 in the fourth.
Justin Nixon led Minster with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks while Jacob Salazar scored 10 points. The Wildcats shot 17 for 44 (38.6 percent) from the floor and 6 for 19 (31.6 percent) from the free-throw line.
St. Henry 53, New Bremen 41
The Cardinals lost a MAC game on Friday in New Bremen in part thanks to a bad third quarter.
The teams were tied 9-9 at the end of the first and St. Henry used an 11-9 scoring advantage in the second to take a 20-18 halftime lead. The Redskins pulled away with an 18-6 scoring edge in the third.
Reece Busse led New Bremen with 14 points and six rebounds while Nolan Bornhorst scored 10 points and Patrick Wells added eight. The Cardinals shot 16 for 46 (35 percent) from the floor and 5 for 14 (36 percent) from the free-throw line. St. Henry had a 44-23 rebounding advantage.
Riverside 54, Lima Temple Christian 43
The Pirates earned an NWCC victory on Friday in Lima.
Riverside led 13-10 at the end of the first quarter, 26-21 at halftime and 29-26 heading into the fourth. The Pirates finished the game with a 25-17 scoring edge in the fourth.
“I think that we went through a lot of adversity tonight and it was definitely a tough battle,” Riverside coach Seth Bodenmiller said. “Temple came out ready to play and shot the ball pretty well. This is one of those games where I’m happy that we came out on top, but I also understand that we still have a long way to go.”
Wade Auflick led Riverside with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Kaden Burk had 12 points and 10 rebounds and John Zumberger scored 12 points. The Pirates shot 21 for 54 (38.9 percent) from the floor and had a 30-24 rebounding advantage.
Versailles 51, New Knoxville 36
The Tigers won a MAC game on Friday in New Knoxville.
Versailles led 12-8 at the end of the first quarter and pulled away with a 16-4 scoring edge in the second. The Tigers used a 14-12 scoring edge in the third to take a 42-24 lead heading into the fourth.
Versailles statistics were not reported.
Carson Bierlein led New Knoxville with 14 points.
The Tigers (12-0, 4-0 MAC) will play next on Tuesday at Lima Central Catholic.
• Bowling
Sidney splits with Vandalia-Butler
Sidney’s bowling squads split with Vandalia-Butler on Friday in Miami Valley League matches.
Sidney’s boys beat the Aviators 2,451-2,221 to improve to 9-0 overall and 4-0 in MVL play. The Yellow Jackets are in first place in the MVL Valley Division and are tied with Troy (5-2, 4-0) for first place in overall MVL standings.
Jaxon Rickey and Drake Cromes each rolled a 468 series.
“Butler has been one of the best teams in the conference for a while,” Sidney coach Trent Knoop said. “Great win for us. We’re rolling at a great time.”
The girls squad lost 1,762-1,542 to drop to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in MVL play.
Sarah Bell rolled a 304 series and Camryn Smith rolled a 280 series.
“We’re not doing a bad job overall,” Knoop said. “Just need to do a better job with our spare shooting. Just got to keep working.”
Riverside loses to Indian Lake
Riverside’s bowling squads lost to Indian Lake on Friday at TP Lanes in Bellefontaine.
Riverside’s girls lost 1,807-1,777. Rayce Yelton led the Pirates with a 302 series and Dora Bryant added a 282 series.
Riverside’s boys lost to Indian Lake 2,245-1,877. Xavier Clerico led Riverside with a 304 series and Dylan Smith added a 151 game.
