OTTOVILLE, Ohio (WLIO) — A pair of 16-win teams squared off in Putnam County as Ottoville hosted Liberty-Benton at L.W. Heckman Gymnasium in a battle of ranked squads.

Liberty-Benton entered the night ranked 13th in Division IV, while Ottoville checked in at No. 4 in Division VII — and the matchup played out like one worthy of the rankings.

Early on, Emelia Kin knocked down a shot to help the Eagles grab an 8-4 lead after the first quarter.

In the second, Ottoville began to settle in. Brooklyn Koester found Kate Turnwald for a three-pointer, and the sophomore finished with a game-high 13 points. The Big Green started to apply pressure defensively, turning stops into offense.

Karlee Horstman dished it to Kendall Schnipke, who finished off the glass to put Ottoville in front by three. Liberty-Benton answered behind Kin, who scored a team-high 10 points, trimming the deficit to just one.

But Ottoville had the final say. Koester attacked the basket and converted, finishing with 12 points to help seal the win.

Ottoville holds off Liberty-Benton 33-29, improving to 17-4 on the season.

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