Napoleon 'steals' game from Trojans

FINDLAY – Findlay's Bronson Drew had a number of steals in Friday's game against Napoleon.Napoleon's Hayden Gerken, though, had the biggest theft of all.With the score deadlocked at 52 and just 21 seconds on the clock, Findlay regained possession on another of Drew's sneaky steals.As the Trojans were inbounding the ball, Gerken knocked it loose, ran it down and took it in for the game-winning basket as the Wildcats stunned the Trojans 55-52 in a Northern Lakes League cross-over game."We've definitely had to battle adversity this year, but every team goes through that, right?" said second-year Napoleon coach Branden Turner, whose program reached the Division IV regional level a year ago but this season sported just a 3-16 record when it got off the bus in the FHS parking lot,"Our guys have battled through thick and thin this year. But they come to practice every day ready to work, they get after it …. they do it the Napoleon way and I'm proud of our guys for coming out on top in the end."Kelby Parsons led Napoleon with 17 points, Gerken – despite a frigid 1-of-8 effort from the line – had 13 and Briggs Abbot t added 12.Freshman Marcus Bishop scored 15 points for Findlay, with 13 of that total coming in the second half. Jack Rhoades, a 6-foot-5 senior, had 13 points and four rebounds. Drew had eight points and Blade Wendt seven as Findlay fell to 7-12."The kids played hard. You can't fault their effort," said FHS coach Ryan Grose."In the end it was just a couple of plays here, there that made the difference.Despite its record, Napoleon was highly successful on 3-point bombs and buzzer-beaters in getting the early edge on Findlay.Not known as a good-shooting team, Napoleon made 3-of-4 3-pointers in the first quarter and 3-of-5 in the second, some from NBA range."No, that's not usually us," Turner said of Napoleon outside accuracy."We came out scorching hot on 3s early on and that definitely helped build the momentum."So did some last-second dramatics.Findlay had just erased all but one point of a 24-23 deficit when Gerken drained a long 3-pointer, Zach Barton added a basket, and, following Finlay turnover, Lucas Gerken beat the pressure an then beat the buzzer with a flip shot that put Napoleon up 31-23 at the half.Findlay made another run in the third quarter, again trimming an 8-point deficit (42-34) to almost nothing on back-to-back baskets by Rhoades and Wendt's baseline drive after Drew's steal.Again, Napoleon had a buzzer-beating answer, with Lucas Gerken banking in a shot off a drive down the lane in the final tick of the third period."Credit Napoleon, they hit some big shots," Grose said."The 3-pointers. Those baskets at the end of quarters. A couple of times we left their shooters to guard one of their non –shooters. There were some key moments at the end of quarters where we could have recognized their shooters and executed better."With an enthusiastic Senior Night crowd looking on, Findlay staged one final rally … and it almost worked.Drew scored in transition, Wendt converted two free throws and when Drew came up with another pick and cashed it in Napoleon's lead was just two, 48-46.When Wendt came down with a rebound and connected on one foul shot with 3:35 to play, the deficit was just one.Spencer Durham hit a short bank for Napoleon, Gerken scored off a steal and the cushion was back to five at 52-47.Bishop answered for Findlay, Wendt drew a charge to get the ball back in Findlay's hands and, with 31 seconds on the clock, Bishop hit a fade-away jumper in the lane, was fouled and completed the and-one 3-point play to tie the game 52-52.When Drew came up with yet another steal, Findlay had possession of the ball and a chance. Gerken foiled that plan, though, with a theft of his own.Findlay was a bit shorthanded against Napoleon, including the absence of 6-foot-3, 220-pound senior center Hudson Yeager. Yeager, who injured an ankle in Findlay's win over Elida last Saturday, was in the starting lineup for Senior Night, but was subbed out before the opening tip."With Hudson out it changes some things for because he's such a force in the middle," Grose said."It's more his toughness and athleticism."Bronson Drew is coming off an ankle injury but he powered through tonight. We're just going to keep battling and try to finish the year on a strong note."Findlay faces a major challenge Tuesday when Toledo Central Catholic, 16-4 and Ohio's No. 1-ranked Division III team, visits the FHS Gymnasium. The Trojans are at Toledo Whitmer Friday, then wrap up the 2025-26 regular season with a Feb. 24 home game with Sylvania Northview.NAPOLEON (4-16)Abbott 4-8 1-2 12, Barton 2-3 0-0 4, Parsons 6-12 2-2 17, H. Gerken 5-5 1-8—13, L. Gerken 2-3 0-1 4, Rosebrock 0-1 0-0 0, Holloway 0-0 0-0 0, Durham 2-4 1-1 5, Speiser 0-0 0-0 0, Rocha 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 21-36 5-14—55.FINDLAY (7-11)Wendt 2-7 3-4 7, Crates 2-3 0-2 5, Drew 4-5 0-1 8, Rhoades 5-11 2-2 13, Yeager 0-0 0-0 0, Bishop 6-9 1-1 15, Thompson 0-2 0-0 0, Stechschulte 0-3 0-0 0, McKanna 1-1 2-3 4. TOTALS: 20-41 8-13—52.Napoleon 15 16 13 11—55Findlay 12 11 17 12—523-POINT GOALS: Findlay 4-12 (Wendt 0-3, Crates 1-2, Drew 0-1, Bishop 2-3, Rhoades 1-2 Stechschulte 0-1); Napoleon 8-13 (Abbott 3-5, Barton 0-1, Parsons 3-5, H. Gerken 2-2, ).REBOUNDS: Findlay 22 (Rhoades 4, Bishop 4); Napoleon 28 (H. Gerken 5, Parsons 4).TURNOVERS: Findlay 7; Napoleon 13.JUNIOR VARSITY: Napoleon, 41-37.