Basketball Recap: Montpelier's Luck Takes a Turn for the Worse on Saturday

Locomotives

Previous 5 Games

01/25/25 vs Paulding	54-63
01/24/25 vs Hilltop	70-39
01/18/25 @ Edgerton	45-42
01/17/25 @ Stryker	57-56
01/09/25 vs Holgate	63-31

After a string of 11 wins, Montpelier's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They took a 63-54 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Paulding Panthers. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Locomotives of the 61-47 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in January of 2024.

Montpelier's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Wesley Hartsock, who went 5 for 8 on his way to 15 points and eight rebounds. Kenneth Smeltzer was another key player, going 6 of 13 en route to 15 points.

Montpelier's loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-3. As for Paulding, the victory (which was their sixth in a row) raised their record to 9-8.

Montpelier will square off against Pettisville at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Montpelier is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 61.8 points per game this season. As for Paulding, they will welcome Hicksville at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.