Yellow Jackets throttle Findlay, gain outright NLL Buckeye title

PERRYSBURG – Perrysburg already had a piece of the Northern Lakes League Buckeye Division crown in pocket when Tuesday's game with Findlay tipped off.And the Yellow Jackets were not in the mood for sharing.Perrysburg raced to a 22-9 first-quarter lead, outscored Findlay 11-3 to start the second period, and poured in 28 points in a fast-paced third quarter in rolling to a title-clinching 71-35 win over the Trojans.Now 14-5 overall, Perrysburg improved to 6-1 in NLL-Buckeye Division games. The Yellow Jackets have one league game left on the regular season schedule – at Toledo Whitmer next Tuesday – but own a two-game edge on every other team in the Buckeye Division.Findlay, which had won three straight and five of seven games to climb to 7-10 overall and 2-3 in league play, Sylvania Northview (13-6, 3-3 NLL) and Whitmer (5-11, 2-3 NLL) all entered Tuesday's play with at least three league losses.Perrysburg had beaten the Trojans 75-39 in a Jan. 9 matchup at Findlay High and next Tuesday's clash was a rematch repeat.Seven players scored, three of them nailed 3-pointers and Perrysburg connected on six of its first seven shots in racing to first quarter leads of 10-3, 15-5 and 22-9.Evan Sterling then hit two baskets and 6-foot-4 junior Braylon Foster completed an and-one three-point play during an 11-3 run that doubled the Yellow Jackets lead to 33-15.Foster, who led Perrysburg with 15 points, scored eight in the third quarter as the lead mushroomed to 56-22.Ben Pamer and Tyson Bower added 10 points each, Adam Gray scored nine and Andrew Charpie eight in a balanced Perrysburg offense.Marcus Bishop led Findlay with 11 points. Jack Rhoades had six and Cooper McKanna five for the Trojans, who were without Hudson Yeager, a senior center sidelined by an injury he suffered in Saturday's win over Elida.Findlay returns home for two nonleague games, an NLL cross-over matchup with Napoleon (3-15) on Friday, and a date with Toledo Central Catholic, 14-3 and ranked No. 1 among Ohio's Division III schools, next Tuesday.FINDLAY (7-11, 2-4 NLL)Crates 1-1—3, Bishop 4-0—11, Rhoades 2-2—6, McKanna 2-0—5, Thompson 1-1—3, Stechschulte 2-0—4, Chiow 1-0—3. TOTALS: 13-4—35.PERRYSBURG (14-5, 6-1 NLL)Gray 3-3—9, Maxwell 2-0—5, Pamer 4-0—10, Bower 3-2—10, Sterling 3-0—6, Foster 7-1—15, Zechman 1-0—2, Charpie 4-0—8, Gerken 1-0—2, Kirian 2-0—4. TOTALS: 30-6—71.Findlay 12 4 10 9—35Perrysburg 22 13 28 8—713-POINT GOALS: Findlay 5 (Bishop 3, McKanna, Chiow); Perrysburg 5 (Pamer 2, Bower 2, Maxwell).JUNIOR VARSITY: Perrysburg, 55-33.FRESHMEN: Findlay, 47-21.