FAIRBORN – The Versailles Tigers saw their tournament run come to a heartbreaking end Tuesday night, falling to the Waynesville Spartans 73-67 in double overtime in first round OHSAA Division V regional tournament action.
“It’s not a way you want your season to end,” said Versailles coach Travis Swank. “Sports is a great reflection of life, and there are a lot of things that won’t go your way in life, but the sun does come up tomorrow.”
Versailles came out strong, jumping to an early 8-0 lead with 5:13 remaining in the opening quarter, forcing a quick timeout from the Waynesville bench. The Spartans regrouped and battled back to cut the lead to 10-8 before the Tigers closed the quarter with a 16-10 advantage.
Five Versailles players scored in the opening period, led by six points from Blake Monnin. Drake Ahrens and Maddox Stonebraker each connected from beyond the arc while Kade Schwartz and Ethan Wilker added baskets.
The second quarter turned into a defensive struggle, with Versailles edging the period 11-7. Reed Raterman led the Tigers with five points in the frame, including a three-pointer, sending Versailles into halftime with a 27-17 lead.
“Early on, our physicality was winning out,” Swank said. “Then their speed won out for a little stretch, then we came back and were physical again.”
Versailles maintained control early in the third quarter, stretching its lead to 35-26 following a Drake Ahrens free throw with 3:17 remaining in the period. However, the Spartans began to find their rhythm, closing the quarter on a 10-2 run to win the period 20-11 and pull within one point at 38-37 heading into the final quarter. Ahrens paced the Tigers with eight third-quarter points.
Waynesville finally grabbed its first lead of the night at 41-40 with 5:11 remaining in regulation. The teams traded baskets the rest of the way, with neither able to gain separation as the game finished tied at 46 at the end of regulation.
The first four-minute overtime period mirrored the tightly contested regulation play, with the teams battling to a 10-10 stalemate. Drake Ahrens led Versailles with six points in the extra session, including two free throws, while Carson Bergman and Monnin each added baskets.
Foul trouble took its toll on the Tigers with Stonebraker and Raterman fouling out while Ahrens continued to play with four fouls after picking up his fourth late in regulation.
Waynesville capitalized, outscoring Versailles 17-11 in the second overtime period to secure the victory and advance in the tournament.
“It puts us at a disadvantage because we rely on those guys for offensive punch,” Swank said of the foul trouble.
The Spartans connected on several clutch shots down the stretch, hitting two three-pointers in the first overtime and knocking down two more triples in the second overtime while converting 11-of-12 free throws in the final extra period.
“They hit some big-time threes, enough to win the game,” Swank said. “We were not fortunate enough to make our plays when needed the most.”
Versailles went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line in both overtime periods and added a Carson Bergman three-pointer in the second overtime, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Spartans’ late surge.
Versailles was called for 26 fouls in the contest, while Waynesville was whistled for 16 fouls.
The Spartans improved to 24-2 on the season with the win. The Tigers finish their 2025-2026 campaign at 18-7 overall and 6-3 in Midwest Athletic Conference play.
Drake Ahrens led Versailles and all scorers with a game-high 27 points.
BOX SCORE:
WAYNESVILLE 73, VERSAILLES 67
WAYNESVILLE – T. Rutledge 17, Z. Sesslar 17, L. Rocha 15, A. Stupp 11, G. Armstrong 9, B. Post 2, B. Ross 2 – TOTALS 11 24-32 9 73
VERSAILLES – D. Ahrens 27, B. Monnin 10, E. Wilker 9, K. Schwartz 6, C. Bergman 5, R. Raterman 5, M. Stonebraker 3 J. Borchers 2 – TOTALS 22 11-15 4 67
3-POINTERS
Waynesville 9 (L. Rocha 3, A. Stupp 2, G. Armstrong 2, Z. Sessler 2)
Versailles 4 (C. Bergman 1, D. Ahrens 1, R. Raterman 1, M. Stonebraker 1)
SCORE by QUARTERS
10-07-20-09-10-17 73
16-11-11-08-10-11 67
