PIQUA – The Mississinawa Valley Blackhawks took the court with a young and undersized lineup and nearly pulled off a late comeback before falling 45-40 to the much taller Ft. Loramie Redskins in opening round OHSAA Division VII boys basketball tournament action.
“You can’t teach size, but you can sure teach grit and heart, and our kids do that,” said Mississinawa Valley coach Jeff Vaughn. “We’re undersized at every position on the floor, and we didn’t get killed on the boards. We told these kids you have to be physical and box out. If you don’t do that, it’s going to be a long night, but they responded. Hats off to our kids, they battled, they are resilient.”
The two teams played to a tight 8-7 first quarter with the Redskins holding a slim one-point advantage heading into the second.
It was the second quarter that ultimately proved costly for the Blackhawks. Ft. Loramie placed five players in the scoring column during a 14-6 period. A Cing Scott layup at the 5:41 mark briefly pulled Mississinawa Valley within a point at 12-11, but the Redskins responded with a decisive 10-2 run to close the half and carried a 22-13 lead into the break.
“The first half, we kind of had self-inflicted wounds at times where we threw it across the top in the front, not making great ball decisions,” Vaughn said. “But they are young kids, and that happens.”
Ft. Loramie stretched its lead to 27-15 midway through the third quarter before the Blackhawks found their rhythm. Mississinawa Valley closed the third on a 12-7 run to cut the deficit to 34-27 heading into the final period. Five MV players scored in the quarter, led by four points each from Jaxin Beanblossom and Scott.
The momentum carried over into the fourth as the Blackhawks pieced together a 9-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. A Cole McGlothlin 3-pointer trimmed the deficit to 34-30, injecting new life into the MV bench.
Scott later drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 24.5 seconds remaining to pull the Blackhawks within three, but time became the enemy. Forced to foul in the closing seconds, Mississinawa Valley saw the comeback bid fall short as Ft. Loramie secured the five-point win to advance.
“Kids are competitors, they are resilient, and I am so proud of them battling,” Coach Vaughn stated. “I am just so happy with these guys that they didn’t lie down and die.”
Cing Scott led Mississinawa Valley — and all scorers — with a game-high 17 points. Ft. Loramie freshman Tanner Eilerman paced the Redskins with 16 points.
The loss closes the book on the Blackhawks’ season, but the future appears promising. Mississinawa Valley returns all players for the 2026-2027 campaign except lone senior No. 23 Kyle Wehrkamp.
“Give the kid credit,” Vaughn said of Wehrkamp. “He didn’t come out last year, comes in this year, he’s been great, works his tail off. I can’t be happier for him. He’s a competitor, and he likes to compete. So proud of the kid, he kept his composure all year long. Hurts losing him.”
With a full roster of returning players and tournament experience now under their belts, the Blackhawks’ youth movement appears poised to build on a hard-fought postseason effort.
BOX SCORE:
Ft. LORAMIE 45, MISSISSINAWA VALLEY 40
- LORAMIE –T. Eilerman 16, DJ Barhorst 11, E. Grillot 9, Dreese 5, A. Berning 3, T. Heckman 1 – TOTALS 12 9-13 4 45
MISSISSINAWA VALLEY – C. Scott 17, McGlothlin 13, Beaanblossom 4, Werkamp 4, Seubert 2 – TOTALS 11 9-10 3 40
3-POINTERS
Ft. Loramie 4 (Eilerman 2, Barhorst 1, Berning 1)
Mississinawa Valley 3 (C. Scott 2, McGlothlin 1)
SCORE by QUARTERS
08-14-12-11 45 Ft. Loramie
07-06-14-13 40 Mississinawa Valley
