Friday nights Putnam County League matched Continental, who was looking for their first PCL win of the season, against at an Ottoville team that was looking to stay in the title hunt. After a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by the Ottoville 3rd and 4th graders the game started and it was the Pirates who got the upper hand. The Big Green put in the first basket to take an early 2-0 lead. The Pirates claimed their first lead of the night when Monty Rayle drained a 3. A Big Green basket made it 4-3. A basket by Rayle was followed up by a free throw and a basket by Quinn Tegenkamp to put the Pirates in the lead at 8-4, a lead that the Pirates would maintain for more than half the game. A pair of free throws by the Big Green made it Pirates 8-6. The Pirates went inside to take a 12-6 with a pair of baskets by Brady Thomsen. The Big Green went 2-2 from the line and made a basket to make it a 2 point game. Pirates 12-10. Rayle ended the 1st scoring with a 3. Pirates 15-10 after 1.
Rayle would open up the second with a basket to expand the Pirate lead to 7, 17-10. A Big Green 3 point play cut the Pirate lead to 4. A basket by Rayle pushed the lead back to 6, 19-16. A pair of Big Green basket and the game was back to a 2 point game Pirates 19-17. Rayle would hit his third 3 of the half to put the Pirates back up by 5. A Big Green basket was followed by a Tegenkamp 3 and a Tyson Clementz basket and the Pirates were up by 8, 27-19. A 2 and 3 by the Big Green and the Pirate lead was cut to 3, 27-24. Tegenkamp would make a basket to finish of the half scoring. Pirates 29-24 heading into the locker room.
Second half was all Big Green. They opened up the second half with a 3 and a 2 to tie the game at 29. The Pirates would retake the lead for the last time with a Thomsen basket, Pirates 31-29. Those 2 points would be it for the Pirates third while the Big Green would put in 9 more points to take a 38-31 lead. The Pirates would have a Thomsen free throw as their only points in the fourth while the Big Green would add 11. Big Green 49-32 final.
Continental was led by Monty Rayle who scored a game high 15 points. Quinn Tegenkamp put in 8 points. Brady Thomsen scored 6 points. Tyson Clementz added 2 points. The Pirates made four 3 pointers (Rayle 3, Tegenkamp 1) while the Big Green also made 4. The Pirates were 2-5 from the line while the Big Green were 5-8.
The Pirates fall to 1-19 (0-6 PCL) and will host Montpelier on Saturday as part of a Girls/Boys Varsity doubleheader. Ottoville improves to 14-6 (4-2 PCL).
–Mike Jones, Sportswriter
