OTTOVILLE — The Putnam County League’s lone conference game of the night delivered a tight finish as Miller City held off Ottoville, 61-58, on the road Friday night.

Miller City entered the matchup at 3-0 in league play and improved to 4-0, while Ottoville dropped to 0-1 in the PCL despite a strong performance on its home floor.

Ottoville set the early tone behind senior Ashton Miller, who was left open on the perimeter and buried a 3-pointer to give the Big Green a 7-3 lead midway through the first quarter. The momentum continued when Grady Leach found a cutting Nick Quartana for a basket and a foul, completing the three-point play and signaling Ottoville’s intent to compete.

Miller City answered behind Grady Troyer, who faked his defender, drove baseline and scored to spark the Wildcats. Troyer then turned defense into offense, sliding in for a steal and feeding Henry Rump for a finish that tied the game at 16 in the second quarter.

Ottoville continued to battle throughout the night, with Miller knocking down another triple on his way to a team-high 19 points.

In the end, Miller City leaned on Troyer, who led all scorers with 21 points, including a pull-up jumper at the halftime buzzer that helped swing momentum. The Wildcats did just enough down the stretch to escape with the 61-58 win.

With the victory, Miller City improved to 13-2 overall and remained perfect in conference play.

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