Fulton County Ohio Media

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Tied at 15-15 with Ottawa Hills entering the second quarter, the Swanton Bulldogs outscored the Green Bears 23-5 then held on in the second half to win the 2024 Bob Fisher Holiday Classic 66-52 on Saturday night at Swanton High School.  Swanton reached the championship game by edging the Delta Panthers 61-59 on Friday while Ottawa Hills defeated the Maumee Panthers earlier in the day.

In the semi-final game, the Bulldogs took a 34-23 lead into the third quarter and still led by 10 points entering the fourth.  The Panthers fought back, led by sophomore Tyson Bower who scored 13 of his second half 19 points in the final frame to pull Delta within one at 60-59.  After Swanton senior Charlie Wood hit one of two foul shots with 4.9 seconds left in the game, a heavily guarded Bower misfired on a long shot at the buzzer, allowing the Bulldogs to escape and move on to the finals.  Wood topped Swanton with 24 points, Giovanni Ruiz added 12 and Adam Lemon had 10.  Bower led all players with 30 points including four triples and went 8 of 9 from the foul line.  Vincent Martinez scored 10 points and Brady Morr had seven for the Panthers.

Delta Panthers:  13-10-18-18 = 59    Tyler Bower (30), Vincent Martinez (10), Brady Morr (7), Alex York (4), Kade Lintermoot (4), Walter Hallet IV (2), John Brasher (2)

Swanton Bulldogs:  17-17-17-10 = 61    Charlie Wood (24), Giovanni Ruiz (12), Adam Lemon (10), Evan Reinhard (8), Brady O’Shea (5), Isaiah Bolyard (2)

In the title match, the Swanton offense broke away from 15 all tie, exploding for 23 points in the second quarter.  At one time, the Bulldogs were on top by 21 points before settling for a 38-20 halftime advantage.  The Green Bears regrouped in the third quarter and outscored Swanton 20-12 and trailed by 10 points going into the fourth.  Ottawa Hills managed to trim the deficit to just six points before Swanton offense came back late to win the game 66-52 and bring home the Championship trophy.  “Anytime we can win a tournament with the name ‘Bob Fisher’ on it it’s a feather in our cap.  It means a lot to us to win this tournament,” exclaimed Bulldog Head Coach Bruce Smith.  “We probably played our best game of the year tonight.  It’s a credit to our kids because we had one hour to prepare for them (Ottawa Hills).”

Despite being double-teamed almost the entire game, Charlie Wood, 6’9”, dominated down low in the offensive key with 29 points.  “I’m taller than everyone else so I can still get my shots.  If I can’t I just kick out to the arc to Brady O’Shea or Evan Reinhard whenever I need to,” said Wood.  Evan Reinhard with 16 points and Brady O’Shea with 11, did support Wood with long-range outside shooting for the home-town Bulldogs.  Jackson Snyder scored 18 points for Ottawa Hills and Chase Miller had 10. 

Ottawa Hills Green Bears:  15-5-20-12 = 52    Jackson Snyder (18), Chase Miller (10), Avi Hanusz (7), Preston Thom (7), Gabe Grim (6), Jay Breed (2), Will Summers (2)

Swanton Bulldogs:  15-23-12-16 = 66    Charlie Wood (29), Evan Reinhard (16), Brady O’Shea (11), Giovanni Ruiz (6), Adam Lemon (4)

The victory places Swanton’s record at 7-2 on the year.  This coming Friday the Bulldogs travel to Patrick Henry to begin the NWOAL season.  The Patriots, preseason favorites to win the league this year, are currently 7-0.

Click on the links above to access photos from the tournament games. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Photo: Swanton Bulldogs – 2024 Bob Fisher Holiday Classic Champions