By Cort Reynolds
ADA - Paulding trailed upset-minded Ada 31-23 early in the third quarter during their Northwest Conference boys' basketball contest Friday night before their offense flipped the switch.
The visiting Panthers then ripped off a 12-0 spurt to take the lead for good. Paulding outscored Ada 43-18 over a 13-minute closing stretch of the second half to turn a close game into a deceptive 66-52 victory.
The purple and gold fell to 2-12 and 1-3 in the NWC with the defeat, while the Panthers improved to 5-7 and 3-2 in league play with the victory.
The Ohio Northern women's basketball program earned a critical Ohio Athletic Conference victory Wednesday evening, toppling the Wilmington Quakers 64-55 at Raizk Arena in Wilmington, Ohio to halt a recent two-game losing skid.
With the win, the Polar Bears improve to 11-7 overall, including a 5-6 mark against the conference loop. More importantly, the victory gives ONU sole possession of seventh place in the league standings, breaking a three-way tie with Wilmington and Heidelberg, who fell 78-54 at Baldwin Wallace Wednesday evening.
The Quakers dropped to an even 9-9 mark overall and own a 4-7 record in the OAC following their midweek loss.
The Ohio Northern wrestling team will travel West to the Pete Willson Wheaton Invitational, which has been held annually since 1938.
Approximately 38 NCAA Division III schools are expected to compete in the double-elimination individual tournament
And, 11 of the 38 teams are ranked in the latest NWCA Top 25 poll.
On Friday, Prelims, Quarterfinals and wrestlebacks will be contested on six matches beginning at 11 a.m. (CST).
Saturday's competition will consist of Semifinals, wrestlebacks and the seventh place matches beginning at 10 am, with championship, third place and fifth place matches starting at 12:45 p.m.
Lady Panthers cage Bulldog girls By Cort Reynolds
PAULDING - Host Paulding ran out to a big early lead and went on to beat Ada 66-39 in Northwest Conference girls basketball play Thursday night.
The purple and gold girls fell to 1-14 and 0-5 in the NWC with the loss, while the Lady Panthers improved to 7-9 and 2-4 in league play after the win.
Paulding led 34-9 at intermission, but Ada played the Panthers to a 32-30 second half.
"The first half was disappointing," said first-year Bulldog head coach Morgan Bass. "Then in the second half we scored 30. But they killed us on the boards.
Junior All-American Maggie Krause (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) has been named the Ohio Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week for women's indoor track and field, the league office announced Monday afternoon.
BEXLEY — Senior Jenna Dirksen (Beavercreek/Carroll) netted a career-high 24 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for her first career double-double in a 68-65 loss at Capital at the Capital Center on Friday evening.
Dirksen was 8-for-16 from the floor and 4-for-8 from 3-point range to lead the Polar Bears (10-7 overall, 4-6 Ohio Athletic Conference).
ONU also got 12 points from junior Abby Weeks (West Chester/Mount Notre Dame), 10 points and eight rebounds from junior Emily Mescher (Maria Stein/Marion Local) and eight points from freshman Lexi Jacobs(Wapakoneta).
