Bowling Green overcame a 31-22 halftime deficit to defeat visiting Sylvania Northview, 63-60, in a Northern Lakes League boys basketball tilt Tuesday.
“First off, this is a massive win for our program,” BG coach Mason Roth said. “Northview has been one of the best basketball programs in Northwest Ohio for the past eight years and for us to beat them is big for our program.”
Six-foot-8 senior forward Jabari Conway led the way for BG with 21 points, including 17 in the second half against a team which rosters four players 6-7 and taller.
Conway was 9-for-10 from the free throw line and the Bobcats finished the game 23-for-27 (85%) from the stripe.
Ahmir Ruffin scored 13 and Brock Hastings and Jake Amspoker scored 11 each for the Bobcats.
Northview grabbed a 14-9 first quarter lead and expanded that to nine by intermission, and still led by eight, 46-38, entering the final stanza.
But BG outscored the Wildcats 25-14 in the fourth, including three-point goals by Hastilngs and Ruffin. Conway hit two big shots and Ruffin had another two-point field goal, and the Bobcats were 13-for-14 from the free throw line in the final eight minutes.
“It definitely wasn’t our best offensive game to start out,” Roth said. “We missed some real good looks and then started to do too much on our own.
“Once we settled in and relaxed late in the third, we started to convert, and it made a big difference.”
Evan Brandt scored four points, Grant Sonner scored three, and Roth said Brayden Freyman, despite not scoring, played a major role on both ends of the court.
“Guys like Jabari, Ahmir, and Brayden really stepped up for us tonight,” Roth said. “But in the end, we won this game as a team and I’m extremely happy for our guys.”
BG improves to 8-10 overall and 5-6 in the NLL, while Northview falls to 14-5 and 7-4, falling two games behind first place Perrysburg (14-5, 9-2) and Anthony Wayne (11-8, 9-2) with three games remaining.
Alex McCoy led the Wildcats with three triples and 11 points. Jackson Clausius, Alan Horton, and Drew Barnesky scored 10 points each and Alex Dupree scored six points.
Nick Campbell and Nik Echelmeyer scored five apiece and Logan Horton added three points. Echelmeyer is a 6-8 junior, Logan Horton a 6-11 sophomore and Alan Horton a 6-7 freshman.
