Titans take off late, top Senecas 70-43

OTTAWA – It was the first game of the season, and for state finalist Ottawa-Glandorf, it looked like it at times in Friday's 70-43 win over Calvert.Ohio State commit Colin White scored 21 points to lead the Titans, but he and his teammates struggled as the Senecas kept the game within striking distance until the final quarter."We never got into a rhythm, and I think we were kind of pressing early on," said O-G coach Tyson McGlaughlin. "We got up that lead, 10, 12, 14 points, and we never threw that haymaker. You've got to give Calvert credit, they did some good things, made some shots when they needed to."The Senecas trailed just 10-8 after the first quarter, and trailed just 12-10 after Gavin Wagner connected on a jumper with 7:24 remaining in the half.But the Titans defensive pressure forced the Senecas into nine second quarter turnovers, and led to an 18-6 run, punctuated by a steal and one-hand dunk by White at the 2:08 mark."We knew coming in that their pressure was going to be something that was gonna give us some fits. It did," said Calvert coach Jon Otterbacher. "For the most part, I thought we did a good job, but there were just too many easy transition baskets where we weren't crisp with the ball."A 3 from the right wing by Kevin Ardner cut O-G's lead to 30-19 at the half.That was how much of the game went: Ottawa-Glandorf would go on a run, and Calvert answered to keep things relatively close."I was pleased with the effort; we just made mistakes," McGlaughlin said. "Those are mistakes that we can fix, and we will fix. For our guys, it's important that we learn from those mitakes. I feel confident that our guys will."Calvert received a game-high 22 points from Gavin Wagner, who played effectively under the basket."Gavin's put a lot of work into his game the last couple years," Otterbacher said. "His goal is to continue to grow and get better and see where his ability takes him."Jacob Rombach added 11 points for the Senecas.For O-G, Grant Schroeder scored 13, while Caden Erford and Grady Toumazos each scored nine points.Otterbacher said he was pleased with how the Senecas limited White."We knew coming in that he's a dynamic player, one of the best players in the state," Otterbacher said. "It was our job to limit his easy looks and easy opportunities. I think the whole team did a great job, especially with Caden (Otterbacher) on the ball, made him work for everything he got."Colin didn't try to force the issue, and that's the thing about Colin," McGlaughlin said. "He doesn't care how many points he scores."The game turned into a rout in the fourth, when O-G outscored Calvert 23-8."We've got some new faces playing different positions, and that's what the first game is for: To get out of here with a sizable win, but have plenty of things to work on," McGlaughlin said. Ottawa-Glandorf 70, Calvert 43Calvert (1-0): Harrison Shultz 2-0-5; Kevin Ardner 1-0-3; Jacob Rombach 5-1-11; Gavin Wagner 8-6-22; Caden Otterbacher 0-2-2. Totals 16-9-43.Ottawa-Glandorf (1-0) Alex Wagner 2-0-5; Grant Schroeder 5-2-13; Grady Toumazos 4-0-9; Conner Kitchen 1-0-2; Ross Maag 1-2-4; Brody Fortman 2-0-5; Colin White 8-3-21; Caden Erford 4-0-9. TOTALS: 28-7-70. Calvert 8 &emsp;&emsp;11 &emsp;&emsp;16 &emsp;&emsp;8 –43O-G 10 &emsp;&emsp;20 &emsp;&emsp;15 &emsp;&emsp;23 – 73