SPENCERVILLE, Ohio (WLIO) — Columbus Grove and Spencerville added another close chapter to their Northwest Conference rivalry Friday night inside The Walk-In Closet.

The two programs entered the matchup having split their previous 10 meetings, and this one followed that same script with momentum swinging both ways throughout.

Spencerville grabbed control in the third quarter behind Jude Stemen, who finished at the rim to put the Bearcats ahead 36–31. Columbus Grove responded quickly, as Brady Basinger scored inside to cut the deficit to three before Drew Baumgartner tapped in a bucket to give the Bulldogs a brief 37–36 lead.

The back-and-forth continued moments later when Spencerville’s Will Sensabaugh answered on the other end, only for Grove’s Gage Sautter to knock down a pull-up jumper to reclaim the lead late in the quarter.

In the fourth, Stemen once again came through for the Bearcats, drilling a three-pointer as part of his 24-point performance to keep Spencerville within striking distance. But Columbus Grove stayed composed down the stretch.

Sautter sealed the win at the free-throw line in the closing moments, finishing with 15 points as the Bulldogs held on for a 52–49 victory. Columbus Grove extended its winning streak to three games with the Northwest Conference road win.

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