In an intense, hard-fought, back-and-forth game, the Lady Marauders came up short against Blissfield Tuesday night, 45-41.  Blissfield (26-1) will advance to the Breslin Center to take on Bishop Foley.  Ovid-Elsie finishes with a 22-5 record. Ovid-Elsie jumped out to a 15-10 first-quarter lead and led 24-22 at the break but Blissfield would hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter and tie things up 35-35.  A 10-6 fourth quarter sealed the deal for the Royals and closed the door on Ovid-Elsie's historic run. "We played a great game," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "We have nothing to hang our heads about.  This loss will sting for a while but eventually, we'll be able to look back at all we accomplished.  I am proud of these kids and hope our school and community are proud of them too.  We came up a little short, but these kids deserve a ton of credit and respect." The Lady Marauders out-rebounded the Lady Royals 21-19 and shot 50% from the field compared to Blissfield's 41.5%  Ovid-Elsie had one more turnover than Blissfield (17-16) and made 18 baskets to their 17.  The biggest difference came at the foul line where Blissfield went 10 of 15 while Ovid-Elsie shot just 2 for 3. "It'll sound like sour grapes, but the foul situation was odd," said Cunningham.  "On two different occasions, they awarded us free throws and then reversed their calls and took us off the free throw line.  15 to 3 from the line is a big discrepancy when we only committed two more fouls than they did on the night." Braeden Tokar had a team-high 12 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 assists while Ava Bates added 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.  Evalyn Cole chipped in with 10 points, going 5 for 5 from the field, and added 3 rebounds, and 4 assists.  Kiah Longoria (3 rebounds) and Hailee Campbell (5 rebounds, 2 steals) each scored four points for the Lady Marauders.        

The Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders traveled to Dansville Thursday night to take on the Aggies for a Regional Title.  Ovid-Elsie would emerge as champions with a 35-12 win. "We knew we had to slow down their top scorers and we are certainly okay with keeping the game in the thirties," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "Our kids played great defensively all the way around but I need to give a ton of credit to Hailee Campbell and Izzy Loynes.  They were tasked with stopping their best players who scored twenty-four and seventeen on Tuesday for a combined forty-one points.  Our girls held them to ten total points tonight.  That won't show up in the scoring column, but those girls are a huge part of our success." Braeden Tokar had a game-high 16 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 3 steals while Evalyn Cole added 10 points and 8 steals.  Kiah Longoria had 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists while Ava Bates added a pair of free throws and Ellyanna Carman added a free throw. "Tokar has been shooting lights out the past few games and her energy was contagious," Cunningham said about the junior forward.  "She has stepped things up and she deserves a ton of credit as well." Ovid-Elsie came out strong with a 10-2 first quarter and followed it up with a 12-2 second quarter to lead 22-4 at the break.  OE held a slight 5-4 advantage in the third and finished it off with an 8-4 effort in the fourth. "This was a very physical game and when they got frustrated, it got more physical.  But our kids didn't back down," added Cunningham.  "We showed some real toughness tonight and our kids stayed locked in." The Lady Marauders handed out 10 assists on 13 made baskets and collected 11 steals off of 18 Aggie turnovers.  Dansville held a slight 21-20 rebound advantage.  Ovid-Elsie shot a respectable 41.9% from the field while holding the Aggies to just 14.8% and no three-point field goals. "We wanted to throw different defenses at them and keep them off balance," said Cunningham.  "They beat us at home earlier in the season and we were within three points late in the game.  We knew we had it in us but even I have to admit that our defense was impressive tonight." Ovid-Elsie (22-4) will travel to Springport High School on Tuesday to take on Blissfield (25-1) for the Quarter-Final matchup at 7:00 p.m.  Blissfield beat last year's State Champ, Ypsi Arbor Prep, 50-38 in their Regional Final.

After a back-and-forth game, the Lady Marauders would secure a 37-34 win over Grass Lake in the Regional Semi-Finals to advance to the Regional Finals on Thursday night against Dansville. Trailing 34-33 with 1:33 to go in the game, Evalyn Cole picked the pocket of a Grass Lake guard and took it in for a layup to put OE back up 35-34.  After a couple of missed shots by both teams, Braeden Tokar would come up with a huge offensive rebound and tip it over to Ava Bates who laid it in with 25 seconds to go in the game and gave the Lady Marauders a three-point lead and the eventual win. "Our kids battled all night and played with grit," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "We have a lot of fight in us and it showed tonight.  It was a gutsy, hard-fought win and I couldn't be more proud of these kids." Trailing 7-8 after the first quarter, Ovid-Elsie would put together a solid 11-7 second quarter and lead 18-15 at the half. "This was the type of game we wanted.  We wanted to slow them down and limit their possessions," added Cunningham.  "We're okay with low-scoring games."   Ovid-Elsie would see their lead slip to two points after a 10-11 third quarter but the Lady Marauders would take the fourth quarter 9-8 en route to the victory. Ava Bates had a game-high 15 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals while Braeden Tokar recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.  Tokar also had a steal and 2 blocked shots.  Evalyn Cole (3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) and Kiah Longoria (4 rebounds) each had four points while Hailee Campbell (8 rebounds) and Ellyanna Carman (3 rebounds, 2 assists) each chipped in with a bucket. Ovid-Elsie collected 6 steals on 12 Grass Lake turnovers and out-rebounded the Warriors 39-31.  The Lady Marauders also handed out 10 assists on 15 made baskets.  Ovid-Elsie held Grass Lake to just 24.5% shooting on the night while shooting at a 31% clip. Thursday night the Lady Marauders (21-4) will travel back to Dansville to take on the Aggies for the Regional crown.  Dansville (21-2) defeated Springport 68-55 in the other Semi-Final game.  Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m. and all tickets must be purchased on the GoFan.com website.

The Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders battled their way to a 42-36 win over Pewamo-Westphalia (16-7) in the District Finals Saturday afternoon at Bath High School.  Ovid-Elsie (20-4) will now travel to Dansville Tuesday night to take on Grass Lake (16-7). Ovid-Elsie opened up with some hot shooting and ended the first quarter with a 16-5 advantage before taking a 27-11 lead into the locker room at the half. "We came out and executed beautifully in the first half, offensively and defensively," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "They beat us earlier in the season by 4 so we threw in a few wrinkles to try and confuse them offensively." PW was able to make some adjustments at halftime and won the third quarter 15-7 and the fourth quarter 10-8 but OE did just enough to hand onto the lead.  Clutch free-throw shooting by Braeden Tokar down the stretch sealed the win for OE. "Ava Bates played outstanding but in my opinion, the player that deserves a ton of credit is Hailee Campbell.  I challenged her to try and stop the 6'1" girl and not let her be the 'x-factor' in our game and Hailee delivered", added Cunningham. Bates finished with a game-high 21 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 3 steals while Campbell added 11 points and 6 rebounds.  Bates connected on 7 of 11 field goal tries while also going 4 of 4 from the foul line.  Braeden Tokar finished with 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals while Evalyn Cole (5 assists), Kiah Longoria, and Ellyanna Carman each added a bucket. Ovid-Elsie led by as many as 16 points during the contest and never relinquished the lead despite a feverish comeback attempt by the Lady Pirates. Ovid-Elsie collected 8 steals on 14 PW turnovers and handed out 13 assists on 16 made baskets.  The Lady Marauders shot at a 37% clip while holding PW to just 33%.  PW held a slight 22-21 rebound advantage. Dansville will host next week's Regional and Ovid-Elsie will take on Grass Lake (16-7).  Details on the game will come at a later time.  Fans will be required to buy their tickets online.

March is here and with it comes the madness - survive and advance!  And that is just what the Lady Marauders did with a 41-37 win at Bath Wednesday night to get to the District finals on Friday night.  OE (19-4) will take on PW (16-6) who eliminated Ithaca in the earlier game, 51-32. "We knew we had our work cut out for us," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "Bath is very physical and they play in a great conference so night in and night out they are playing great competition.  And it's not that they just play great competition, they competed all year and had some close losses against some very good teams.  We didn't have our best stuff tonight, but we found a way to get it done and gave ourselves a chance to play again on Friday night." In a back-and-forth game from the tip, Bath would lead by as many as seven points in the first half before Ovid-Elsie would cut it to four just before the break.  OE held a slight 11-10 advantage in the first quarter, but Bath put together a strong 12-7 second quarter to lead 22-18 at the intermission.  Ovid-Elsie came out hot and tied the game at 22 and would eventually build a 6-point lead but the third quarter (14-12) would end with Ovid-Elsie down 34-32. "We just kept talking in our huddles about leaving it all out there on the court and to just keep battling," added Cunningham.  "We were a bit frustrated but we never threw in the towel and hit some big shots when we needed to." In the fourth quarter, the Lady Marauders would hit some big shots and a few clutch free throws to capture the quarter 9-3 en route to the victory. Ava Bates had a game-high 19 points along with 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals while Braeden Tokar added 10 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals.  Evalyn Cole chipped in with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals while Kiah Longoria added 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals.  Hailee Campbell added a free throw and 4 rebounds and 3 steals to aid the Lady Marauders. Ovid-Elsie out-rebounded Bath 27-25 and collected 13 steals on 18 Bath turnovers.  The Lady Marauders also handed out 10 assists on 14 made baskets.   Friday night's game against PW will be a rematch from earlier in the season where the Pirates defeated Ovid-Elsie by 4 at PW.  Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.  

The Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders had four players reach double figures in a 60-28 victory over visiting LakeVille Friday night.  The win leaves Ovid-Elsie 18-4 and 14-0 in the MMAC. Ava Bates led OE with 16 points and 3 rebounds while Braeden Tokar knocked in 14 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.  Tokar shot a perfect 5 for 5 from the field including 3 for 3 from behind the arc.  Evalyn Cole added 12 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals and Kiah Longoria chipped in 10 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals. "This was a great way to put a stamp on our conference championship," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "We had four girls hit double digits and every kid got in the game and contributed.  It was a fun night and a great way to end the regular season." Rylee Lewis knocked down another triple to finish with 3 points while Hailee Campbell and Murphy Alexa each scored two points and Madison Thornton a free throw to round out the Marauder scoring. Ovid-Elsie collected 22 steals on 36 Falcon turnovers and handed out 20 assists on 24 made baskets.  LakeVille held a 32-24 rebound advantage but OE connected on 43.6% of their field goals and 83% from the foul line.  The Falcons were held to just 20% shooting on the night. Ovid-Elsie will enter District play at Bath on Wednesday night against the winner of the Carson City/Bath game on Monday night.  Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m. after the Ithaca/PW game.

After a 40-year drought, the Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders have now won back-to-back conference championships, this one coming on the heels of a 53-24 blowout win over Chesaning. The Lady Marauders opened up with an 18-4 first-quarter lead and then cruised into halftime with another 14-4 effort to lead, 32-8.  After a 19-2 third quarter, Ovid-Elsie would lead by as many as 41 points which put a running clock into play.  The Lady Marauders would surrender the fourth quarter, 14-2. Evalyn Cole had a game-high 15 points to go along with 7 steals and 4 rebounds while Ava Bates (5 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks, and 3 assists) and Braeden Tokar (3 rebounds, 4 assists) each knocked down 12 points.  Kiah Longoria added 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists while Hailee Campbell scored 4 points while leading the team with 7 caroms.  Ellyanna Carman added two points and Aubrey Kurka a free throw to round out the OE scoring.  All 15 players were able to enter the contest at some point. Ovid-Elsie out-rebounded Chesaning 29-20 and handed out 16 assists on 23 made baskets.  The Lady Marauders also collected 16 steals on 28 Indian turnovers.  Ovid-Elsie shot at a 44% clip while holding Chesaning to just 23%. The regular season will wrap on Friday night as LakeVille will come to Ovid-Elsie for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.  After that, the Lady Marauders will enter into District play at Bath on Wednesday, March 1st against the winner of Bath and Carson City.

Tuesday night the Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders welcomed the #9-ranked team in Division 2, the Goodrich Martians, to town for a non-conference battle that proved to be a great high school basketball game.  Goodrich would eventually come away with a 52-43 win and improve to 18-1 on the season while Ovid-Elsie dropped to 16-4. "This was another dogfight tonight and another game that we needed to help us get ready for tournament play," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "Goodrich has one of the best programs in the State in the division above us and we knew that it was going to be a challenge.  I'm super proud of our effort tonight even though we came up short.  Again, we scheduled these games for a reason - our non-conference opponents have over 110 combined wins this year." After a slow start in the first quarter which saw Goodrich take a 12-6 lead, Ovid-Elsie would turn things up in the second but still trailed after a 13-14 effort, 26-19 at the half. "We just felt that we missed some opportunities and if we could clean a few things up, we could make a run back at them," noted Cunningham. The third quarter was a draw at 13-13 and with the Marauders down in the 4th, Ovid-Elsie would have to foul to stop the clock.  Goodrich converted on 6 of their 8 free throws in the 4th to win the quarter 13-11. Cunningham added, "It was a pretty physical game, but they shot more free throws in the 4th quarter than we did in the entire game.  You could sense the frustration in our kids when things seemed one-sided.  But we cut it to 5 with about two and a half minutes to go and were right there.  We just ran out of time." Goodrich would make good on 8 of 11 free throws on the night while Ovid-Elsie would hit just 4 of 7 with two of those free throws coming in the closing seconds. Ava Bates had a team-high 17 points to go along with 7 rebounds while Evalyn Cole added 12 points, 5 assists, and 7 steals.  Braeden Tokar chipped in with 7 points while Rylee Lewis added 3, Kiah Longoria (3 assists), and Ellyanna Carman had 2 points each. The Lady Marauders were able to collect 10 steals on 20 Martian turnovers and handed out 12 assists on 18 made baskets.  Goodrich held a commanding 25-16 advantage in rebounding.  Ovid-Elsie connected on 3 of 5 attempts from behind the arc and shot 44% on the night but Goodrich connected on 6 of their 18 attempts from behind the arc and finished shooting at a 45% clip. Next up for the Lady Marauders will be Chesaning on Friday night.  If Ovid-Elsie defeats either Chesaning Friday night or LakeVille the following Friday night at home, they will earn the conference championship outright.  Game time for both contests will be 5:30 p.m.

With just a few seconds remaining in the game, junior Ava Bates knocked down a long jumper to put Ovid-Elsie up 43-41 and helped the Lady Marauders earn their second straight MMAC title.  Bates finished with 5 points on the night to go along with 11 rebounds and 4 steals. "I gotta give Durand a lot of credit.  They put in a 1-3-1 defense to keep us from getting to the middle and to try and keep Bates from hurting them," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "But we found ways to make plays when we needed to and we're just happy to come away with the win.  Durand was well-prepared and it is always a tough environment there." After a tight first quarter which saw Durand cling to a 12-11 lead, Ovid-Elsie would turn things up defensively and outscore the Railroaders 11-6.  But Durand would answer with a 13-9 third-quarter run before Ovid-Elsie finished with a 12-10 run to close out the game. "We got up as many as seven points," noted Cunningham, "but they just kept battling back.  They hit some big threes and never really allowed us to get into a flow on offense." Evalyn Cole had a game-high 21 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 5 steals while Braeden Tokar added 7 points and 4 assists.  Hailee Campbell added 5 points and 6 rebounds while Rylee Lewis and Kiah Longoria (3 rebounds) each scored three points. The Lady Marauders held a 30-26 rebound advantage over Durand and collected 12 steals on 19 Railroader turnovers.  Ovid-Elsie also handed out 10 assists on 16 made baskets. Next up for the Lady Marauders is Goodrich who comes to OE on Tuesday night with a 17-1 record and a #9 State Ranking in Division 2.  The JV girls will tip-off at 5:30 p.m. with the Varsity girls scheduled for around 7:00 p.m.

The Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders traveled to Linden Wednesday night for a non-conference tilt against the Eagles.  Linden (12-6) would come away with the win, 35-32. Ovid-Elsie (15-3) led 14-12 after the first quarter but the game was tied 22-22 at halftime.  The Lady Marauders could muster only one point in the third stanza during a defensive battle which saw Linden outscore OE 5-1.  Ovid-Elsie would capture the fourth quarter 9-8, but it was "too little too late". "We had a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers tonight," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "They play with a lot of speed and aggressiveness and were the more physical team tonight.  They kept us off balance offensively but I am proud of our defensive effort and the fact that we didn't quit.  We had two good looks to tie it at the end but they didn't fall - these kids played right down to the final buzzer." Ava Bates paced the Marauders with 10 points to go along with 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists while Evalyn Cole notched 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.  Hailee Campbell added 6 points and 10 rebounds while Kiah Longoria (5 rebounds, 2 steals), Ellyanna Carman, and Braeden Tokar (6 rebounds) each chipped in with 3 points.   Ovid-Elsie held a slight rebound advantage (30-29) on the game and collected 9 steals off of 17 Eagle turnovers.  The Lady Marauders also handed out 10 assists on 12 made baskets but the turnovers (22) and a poor night shooting (28.6%) left OE on the short end offensively. Ovid-Elsie will have a quick turnaround as they head back into conference action at Durand Friday night.  Game time is slated for 5:30 p.m.  

On Saturday the Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders traveled to Alma College to take on undefeated and #4 ranked Mackinaw City in a non-conference matchup.  Ovid-Elsie would come away with a 59-55 victory. In a game that saw only two lead changes, Ovid-Elsie would lead by as many as 17 points before the Comets came storming back to tighten things up.  Great execution and clutch free throw shooting in the final minutes helped OE fend off the furious comeback. "We were down early but finally settled in and tied things up after the first quarter.  From there, we put together two solid middle quarters, but Mackinaw City is really good and they clawed their way back into it," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "They might be a small school, but they have some exceptional talent and the game was everything we thought it would be." After a deadlocked first quarter (12-12) the Lady Marauders would take a four-point lead at halftime after an 11-7 second quarter.  Both teams found their offensive rhythm in the third as OE outscored MC 28-22 to push their lead to 51-41 but the Comets would tighten things up with a 14-8 fourth-quarter surge.   Leading by two points with under a minute to play, Ovid-Elsie employed a stall to try and burn up some of the clock and the Comets had fouls to give.  Finally, with just six seconds left in the game, senior Kiah Longoria toed the free throw line and delivered two successful tries ending any hope of a Comet victory. Evalyn Cole led the Lady Marauders with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals while Ava Bates dropped in 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots, and Braeden Tokar added 11 points and 3 assists.  Kiah Longoria finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, Ellyanna Carman added 4 points, 2 assists, and 3 steals, and Hailee Campbell had 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.   The Lady Marauders collected 14 steals on 20 Mackinaw City turnovers and handed out 17 assists on 21 made baskets.  Ovid-Elsie shot at a 38% clip from the field (44% behind the arc) while connecting on 9 of 11 free throws.  The Comets held a 30-22 rebound advantage. The win leaves Ovid-Elsie with a 15-2 record while Mackinaw City falls to 14-1.  Next up for the Lady Marauders will be another non-conference tilt at Linden on Wednesday before returning to conference play at Durand on Friday night.  

For seniors Rylee Lewis, Izzy Loynes, Kiah Longoria, Hadley Bukantis, Murphy Alexa, Katie Lorio, and Malena Diaz Blanco Friday night marked a significant milestone in these young ladies lives - senior night!  And the seniors delivered a great performance in front of their home crowd, helping to deliver a 54-22 win over visiting Byron.  Ovid-Elsie improves to 14-2 on the season and 11-0 in the MMAC. "It is rare to have so many seniors on a team and it demonstrates their commitment to the program and loyalty to their school," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "I am super proud of the young ladies that these kids have become and thankful to have had them in the program for all these years." The Lady Marauders came out strong and took a commanding 21-9 lead after the first quarter and followed it up with a 12-2 effort in the second stanza to lead 33-11 at the half.  A 14-5 third quarter followed up by a 7-6 fourth quarter sealed the win. Evalyn Cole lead all scorers with 11 points to go along with 6 steals and 3 assists while Ava Bates dropped in 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.  Kiah Longoria knocked down 8 points along with 3 assists while Braeden Tokar chipped in with 7 points and 5 steals.  Izzy Loynes added 5 points and 4 assists while Ellyanna Carman (3 assists), Hailee Campbell (3 rebounds), and Murphy Alexa (2 rebounds) each added 4 points.  Malena Diaz Blanco rounded out the Marauder scoring with a free throw while Hadley Bukantis handed out 2 assists, Rylee Lewis an assist and a steal, and Katie Lorio and Aly Moore 2 rebounds a piece. Ovid-Elsie collected 20 steals on 36 Byron turnovers and handed out 19 assists on 24 made baskets.  The Lady Marauders also out-rebounded Byron 26-25.  Ovid-Elsie led by as many as 37 points during the contest. It will be a quick turnaround as the Lady Marauders head to Alma College Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. game against #4 State-ranked and undefeated Mackinaw City.  

The Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders continued their winning ways Tuesday night by defeating Laingsburg, 53-31.  The Lady Marauders led by as many as 29 points during the contest and never trailed throughout the night. "I was a little concerned with how we would come out and play tonight since we haven't been in the gym for a week due to cancelations.  We literally haven't been together since last Tuesday," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "I'm glad we came out with some energy and knocked the rust off a bit." Izzy Loynes got the Marauders going as she scored six out of OE's first eight points but then it was the Evalyn Cole show.  The junior point guard amassed 17 points and 3 steals while Ava Bates chipped in with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocked shots.  Braeden Tokar finished with 7 points while Ellyanna Carman added 5 points, Hailee Campbell 4 points and Rylee Lewis and Tava Kvalevog each knocked down a triple. The Lady Marauders jumped out to a 17-8 first quarter lead and followed it up with a 15-4 surge in the 2nd quarter to lead 32-12 at the half.  A 13-7 third quarter kept the Wolfpack at bay before surrendering the 4th quarter 8-12. The Lady Marauders shot 51% on the night, including 5 of 13 from behind the arc, and a solid 71% from the foul line.  Ovid-Elsie collected 13 steals on 22 Laingsburg turnovers and handed out 12 assists on 19 made baskets.  The Wolfpack held a 25-19 rebound advantage. Ovid-Elsie will next play host to Byron on Friday night for Seniors' Night with game time scheduled for 5:30 p.m.  Then, the Lady Marauders will travel to Alma College on Saturday for a showdown with undefeated and state ranked Mackinaw City at 1:00 p.m.

After a slow start, the Lady Marauders picked things up and turned away the New Lothrop Hornets Tuesday night, 40-29.  The win puts a two-game cushion between Ovid-Elsie and New Lothrop.  Ovid-Elsie now sits at 11-2 (9-0 MMAC), alone in first place, while New Lothrop falls to 7-4 (6-2 MMAC). After an 11-5 first-quarter deficit, the Lady Marauders would outscore the Hornets 35-18 in the final three quarters and led by as many as 13 points. "New Lothrop has been off for a week so they had a chance to really scout us and prepare for us," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "Once we settled in and made a few adjustments, we started hitting some shots and playing better defensively.  To be honest, it was good to be tested a bit because it showed our resolve." Ava Bates had a game-high 17 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 3 steals while Evalyn Cole added 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Braeden Tokar added 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals while Hailee Campbell added 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.  Ellyanna Carman rounded out the Marauder scoring with 2 points to go along with her 3 rebounds. "I thought Izzy Loynes did an outstanding job on their point guard defensively tonight," added Cunningham.  "She hurt us last time but Izzy did a phenomenal job and kept her in check tonight." The Lady Marauders tied New Lothrop on the boards with 23 caroms a piece, but Ovid-Elsie was able to collect 13 steals off of 23 Hornet turnovers.  Ovid-Elsie also handed out 9 assists on 17 made baskets while shooting at a 40% clip. The Lady Marauders will host powerhouse Portland St. Pat's on Thursday night for a non-conference showdown due to Mt. Morris canceling the remainder of the girls' basketball season.  The JV girls will start at 5:30 p.m. with the varsity tipping off at approximately 7:00 p.m. at Ovid-Elsie High School.

Ava Bates had a game-high 17 points Friday night to help lead Ovid-Elsie past visiting Montrose, 50-21.  The junior sharpshooter connected on 3 of 5 from behind the arc and shot nearly 80% from the field. Ovid-Elsie used a stifling defense to hold the Rams in check for most of the game which saw the Lady Marauders win the first three quarters 11-4, 19-6, and 15-3 before surrendering the fourth quarter 5-8.  Ovid-Elsie was once again sharing the basketball as they handed out 15 assists on 19 made baskets and collected 17 steals on 25 Montrose turnovers.  The Rams held a slight rebound advantage over OE, 26-25. Braeden Tokar went 5 for 5 from the foul line en route to 11 points.  She also added 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals while Evalyn Cole knocked down 8 points and added 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals while Ellyanna Carman (4 rebounds) and Hailee Campbell (6 rebounds) each added 6 points.  Katie Lorio added a bucket and Hadley Bukantis handed out 3 assists. Ovid-Elsie (10-2, 8-0 MMAC) will travel to New Lothrop (7-3, 6-1 MMAC) for a critical conference match-up on Tuesday night.  Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.

The Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders once again employed a tough defensive strategy to contain the Lakeville Falcons en route a 49-12 conference win.  Ovid-Elsie now sits alone the MMAC at 7-0 and 9-2 overall while Lakeville drops to 4-7 (2-5 MMAC). Evalyn Cole led all scorers with 15 points while Braeden Tokar added 12 points and Ava Bates 8 points and 7 rebounds.  Hailee Campbell (5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals) and Ellyanna Carman each added 4 points while Hadley Bukantis, Katie Lorio and Aubrey Kurka each scored two. Ovid-Elsie used a 13-3 first quarter advantage followed up by a 15-3 second quarter to lead 28-6 at the break.  An 18-3 third quarter saw the implementation of a running clock as the Lady Marauders pushed their lead to 40 points.  The final stanza was a 3-3 draw. Lakeville was able to out rebound Ovid-Elsie 27-24 but Ovid-Elsie shot at a 39% clip while connecting on 6 three pointers.  The Lady Marauders also collected 14 steals on 28 Falcon turnovers and handed out 17 assists on 20 made baskets. The Lady Marauders will be off until next Friday night when Montrose comes to town - game time is slated for 5:30 p.m.

Junior Hailee Campbell recorded her first career double-double scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as Ovid-Elsie cruised to a 58-14 conference win at Byron Tuesday night.  The win marks the Lady Marauder's 7th straight victory and leaves them with an 8-2 record and 6-0 in the MMAC. Ovid-Elsie got out to a slow start but won the first quarter 17-7 and then followed it up with a 25-5 effort in the second quarter.  The stingy Marauder defense would only allow two second half points for the Eagles as OE would win the second half 16-2. Ava Bates added 12 points and 7 steals while Braeden Tokar chipped in with 9 points, 4 steals and 3 assists.  Evalyn Cole scored 8 points and notched 9 steals and 6 assists.  Ellyanna Carman added 6 points and 5 rebounds while Aubrey Kurka scored 4 points, Rylee Lewis 3, Izzy Loynes 2, and Murphy Alexa added a free throw.   The Lady Marauders were able to turn Byron over 39 times and collect 29 steals while handing out 18 assists on 24 made field goals.  OE also out rebounded Byron 36-32. Ovid-Elsie will travel to Ottisville-Lakeville on Friday night for a 5:30 p.m. tilt following the Junior Varsity girls contest at 4:00 p.m.  The Varsity boys tip-off will be around 7:00 p.m.

The Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders cruised to a 61-3 MMAC win over visiting Mt. Morris Friday night.  Ovid-Elsie now sits at 7-2 (5-0 MMAC) while Mt. Morris drops to 0-5 on the year. Ovid-Elsie opened the game with a 26-0 first quarter run and followed it up with a 17-3 second quarter before the running clock kicked in.  The Lady Marauders held scoring advantages of 13-0 and 5-0 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. Evalyn Cole, Ava Bates and Braeden Tokar paced Ovid-Elsie with 12 points each while Rylee Lewis knocked down two three pointers en route 6 points.  Hailee Campbell added 5 points while Aubrey Kurka, Izzy Loynes and Ellyanna Carman each scored 4 points.  Kiah Longoria added a bucket to round out the Marauder scoring. Cole added 5 rebounds and Bates 4, while Cole and Tokar each handed out 5 assists.  Tokar held honors in the steal category with 7 thefts while Cole added 6, Bates 5, and Campbell 4. Ovid-Elsie held a commanding 28-15 rebound advantage and collected 29 steals on 33 Panther turnovers.  The Lady Marauders also handed out 18 assists on 26 made baskets and shot over 48% for the game. Ovid-Elsie will be on the road next week for a pair of MMAC contests - Tuesday at Byron and Friday at Lakeville - both games are slated for 5:30 p.m.

The Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders welcomed the Ithaca Yellowjackets to town Tuesday night for a non-conference tilt which featured Ovid-Elsie at 5-2 and Ithaca at 7-0.  Ithaca's senior standout, Delaney Seaman, has been averaging 33 points per game, according to MaxPreps, so the Lady Marauders knew they were in for a battle. "We still wanted to play our style of basketball," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "We felt that if we could keep her (Seaman) in check, we'd have a great chance to win this game." Kiah Longoria and Izzy Loynes drew the tough defensive assignment and answered the bell holding the Yellowjacket sharp shooter to just 7 points on the night. "Once again our kids played great defensively, especially Kiah and Izzy.  I also need to give a lot of credit our my assistant coaches who did a lot of work to get us ready for this game," added Cunningham. Ithaca got off to a strong start and led after the first quarter 11-7, but Ovid-Elsie used a 19-9 run in the second quarter to head into the locker room up 26-20.  After a 15-11 third quarter, Ithaca started to play the "foul game" but Ovid-Elsie would hit their free throws down the stretch and capture the fourth quarter 14-13 as well. "Braeden Tokar was huge at the line tonight," noted Cunningham.  "They started using their fouls with about 4 minutes to go and when she got to the line she delivered." Tokar finished 8 for 8 from the foul line and 10 points on the night while adding 6 rebounds.  Evalyn Cole paced the Lady Marauders with 12 points, 4 assists and 4 steals while Ava Bates added 11 points and 8 boards.  Hailee Campbell added 9 points and Kiah Longoria finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.  Loynes and Ellyanna Carman each chipped in with a bucket to round out the scoring. Ovid-Elsie and Ithaca were deadlocked in rebounding with 28 caroms each but Ovid-Elsie was able to turn Ithaca over 17 times and collect 9 steals.  The Lady Marauders handed out 13 assists on 18 made baskets and shot nearly 40% for the game.  Ovid-Elsie also held a slight free throw advantage hitting on 14 of 19 attempts while Ithaca connected on 10 of 16 free throws. Conference play will resume on Friday as Ovid-Elsie will host Mt. Morris.  The ladies will tip off at 5:30 p.m. and the boys will tip off at 7:00 p.m.

Thursday night the Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders took on the visiting Chesaning Indians in an MMAC showdown which featured two undefeated conference opponents.  Ovid-Elsie would come away with the victory, 54-15. Senior Kiah Longoria came out and scored 10 first quarter points to pace the Lady Marauders to a 23-3 first quarter advantage.  Ovid-Elsie followed it up with an 11-5 second quarter and an 18-1 third quarter before surrendering the fourth quarter 7-2.  Ovid-Elsie led by as many as 44 points which brought a running clock into play. "I'm just so impressed with our defensive intensity," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "That's the third straight game we've held our opponent to under ten points in the first half.  Our girls take great pride in our defense and it really showed tonight.  It was probably the most complete game - offensively and defensively - that we have played this season." Junior Evalyn Cole led all scorers with 20 points while adding 8 steals and 6 rebounds and fellow classmate Braeden Tokar added 11 points and 4 assists.  Ava Bates added 8 points and 5 rebounds while Ellyanna Carman chipped in with 3 points and 3 rebounds and Izzy Loynes had 2 points to round out the Marauder scoring. "I love the fact that we are so diverse in our scoring," added Cunningham.  "Kiah came out on fire and then you saw Evalyn, Braeden and Ava start to pick up offensively.  That's the great thing about this team, we have so many kids who can lead us at any time." The Lady Marauders collected 18 steals on 33 Indian turnovers and handed out 12 assists on 21 made baskets.  Rebounding was deadlocked at 25-25 but Ovid-Elsie out shot Chesaning 41% to 21% from the floor.  Ovid-Elsie committed just 8 turnovers on the night. Ovid-Elsie (5-2, 4-0 MMAC) will be idle until Ithaca (6-0) comes to town on on January 3rd.  Chesaning falls to 4-3 and 3-1 in the MMAC.

The Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders remained unbeaten in the MMAC as they downed Durand Tuesday night 54-31.  Ovid-Elsie improved to 4-2 (3-0 MMAC) while Durand dropped to 4-4 (1-3 MMAC). Ava Bates recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds while notching 3 blocked shots and 3 assists.  Hailee Campbell chipped in with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists while Evalyn Cole added 8 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals.  Braeden Tokar (5 rebounds) and Ellyanna Carman (6 rebounds) each added 5 points while Katie Lorio knocked down a three-pointer and Kiah Longoria and Aubrey Kurka each added a bucket. "We've been a little banged up and sick for the past week," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "We weren't even able to practice for a week. So to come out with this kind of energy and intensity, especially on the defensive side, was thoroughly impressive.  I'm super proud of these kids and you have to give Loynes, Longoria and Cole a ton of credit for the job they did on their guards." Ovid-Elsie took a commanding 15-4 lead after the first stanza and then followed it up with a 13-5 effort in the second quarter to lead 28-9 at half.  The Railroaders were able to keep it within two in each of the final two quarters, 16-14 and 10-8 respectively, but Ovid-Elsie would lead by as many as 25 points. The Lady Marauders out rebounded Durand 38-29 and collected 14 steals on 25 Railroader turnovers.  Ovid-Elsie also handed out 15 assists on 21 made baskets. Ovid-Elsie will have a quick turn around as they get ready for another MMAC matchup against Chesaning Thursday night at 5:30 p.m.  This game is a make up game from last week and will be a varsity girls game only.

The Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders made it two straight conference wins with a 30-16 effort against New Lothrop Tuesday night.  The win leaves Ovid-Elsie at 3-2 (2-0 MMAC) while the Hornets fall to 2-2 (1-1 MMAC). Ovid-Elsie used tough defense to hold the New Lothrop offensive attack in check holding the Hornets to just 3 points in the middle quarters (9-3).  Ovid-Elsie used an 11-5 scoring run in the first stanza and finished with a 10-8 fourth quarter. "We couldn't buy a bunny tonight," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham, "but our defense was outstanding and that is where we hang our hat.  We made some good offensive adjustments in the second half and shots started to fall, but when you can hold a good team to 3 points over a two quarter stretch - that's pretty good." The Lady Marauders struggled from the floor all night shooting only 27% but held New Lothrop to just 16% for the game.  Evalyn Cole (6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals) and Ava Bates (6 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks) shared scoring honors with 9 points each while Braeden Tokar added 8 points and 3 rebounds.  Izzy Loynes added a bucket and Hailee Campbell and Ellyannna Carman each added a free throw to round out the Marauder scoring.  Senior Kiah Longoria added 3 assists and 2 steals. "The most important thing is that we got the win," added Cunningham.  "Our kids have a common goal and we achieved that.  We will continue to work hard and get better each night." Ovid-Elsie out rebounded New Lothrop 29-17 and gave up only two offensive rebounds.  The Lady Marauders collected 10 steals on 17 Hornet turnovers and handed out 9 assists on 12 made baskets. Friday night Chesaning will come to town for a 5:30 p.m. tip off.

Junior Ava Bates erupted for 25 points Friday night as the Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders cruised past Montrose, 54-40.  Bates added 6 rebounds and 4 steals while connecting on 53% of her shots. "It was the kind of night we have been waiting for from Ava," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "She is more than capable and tonight she was hitting on all cylinders." Montrose came out swinging and took at slight 15-13 advantage after the first quarter but OE stormed back with a 22-8 second stanza, in part because of Bates's 17 first half points. "We were a little slow getting out of the gates," Cunningham said.  "We made some adjustments in our press and I think we were a little off in our assignments.  But in that second quarter, we got things worked out and built a nice lead.  It was a great win and it was great to see every kid get into the game and contribute in some fashion." The Lady Marauders continued their high scoring affair with a 15-8 third quarter before relinquishing a 9-4 fourth quarter to the Rams. Evalyn Cole hit double digits once again with 13 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 assists while Ellyanna Carman chipped in with 5 points and 4 rebounds and Hailee Campbell 4 points and 3 rebounds. Kiah Longoria added 3 points, 4 assists and 2 steals with Aubrey Kurka and Braeden Tokar (3 assists and 3 steals) rounded out the Marauder scoring with 2 points each. Ovid-Elsie handed out 13 assists on 20 made baskets and collected 16 steals off of 32 Montrose turnovers.  In the rebound category, the Marauders and Rams were dead even at 28 caroms each. Ovid-Elsie will host New Lothrop on Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. and will also play host to Chesaning on Friday night at 5:30 p.m.

After trailing 25-6 at halftime, the Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauder ramped things up in the second half with a feverish comeback attempt, but the Dansville Aggies would secure the win 42-33.  Dansville improves to 3-0 while Ovid-Elsie falls to 1-2. After an 11-4 first quarter and a 14-2 second quarter, the Lady Marauder would get things in order with an 18-7 third quarter and cut the Dansville lead to 3, but a 10-9 fourth quarter kept the Marauders at bay. "We couldn't buy a basket in the first half," said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "Part of that we credit to their tough defense, but a lot of it had to do with us just playing too soft.  We cannot come out flat against a quality opponent like Dansville.  We just dug ourselves too big of a hole." Ava Bates paced the Lady Marauders with 13 points, 7rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 assists while Evalyn Cole added 9 points and 5 rebounds and Kiah Longoria 7 points.  Hailee Campbell also added 5 rebounds.  Braeden Tokar and Ellyanna Carman rounded out the OE scoring with 2 points each. Ovid-Elsie handed out 9 assists on 11 made baskets and collected 9 steals off of 15 Aggie turnovers but once again, Dansville out rebounded Ovid-Elsie 30-27. Ovid-Elsie will open up conference play at Montrose on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

The Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders traveled to Pewamo-Westphalia Friday night for a non-conference tilt which saw the Lady Pirates turn away OE, 39-35.  Ovid-Elsie falls to 1-1 while PW stands at 1-0. The Lady Marauders came out strong and led 9-0 before PW came storming back but OE led 13-10 at the end of the first stanza.  PW held a slight 7-6 advantage in the second quarter but Ovid-Elsie hung on to the lead 19-17 at half.  The third quarter saw PW outscore OE 9-5 while PW also outscored OE 13-11 in the final stanza. "This is the kind of test we wanted," said OE Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  "We built a tough non-conference schedule and while we want to win each game, we also need to prepare ourselves with some tougher opponents.  This was just a great high school basketball game and it was everything we thought it was going to be." PW held a slight advantage at the free throw line connecting on 9 of 12 attempts while OE hit just 6 of 12.  However, the Lady Pirates outrebounded Ovid-Elsie 28-19. Evalyn Cole led the Ovid-Elsie attack with 12 points and 4 rebounds while Braeden Tokar added 10 points and 3 assists.  Hailee Campbell chipped in with 6 points, Ellyanna Carman 3 points, and Ava Bates and Kiah Longoria 2 points each.  Bates added 5 rebounds while Longoria had 3 steals. Ovid-Elsie collected 7 steals off of 9 PW turnovers and shot a respectable 36% from the field.  The Lady Marauders also handed out 10 assists on 14 made baskets. Ovid-Elsie will host Dansville (2-0) on Monday night at 7:00 p.m. for their annual Tribute to Service Night.  There is no JV game scheduled.

  The Ovid-Elsie Lady Marauders opened the 2022-23 season with a 42-32 win at Ionia Tuesday night.  Ovid-Elsie stands at 1-0 on the young season.   Ovid-Elsie took a 16-9 lead at the end of the first quarter but the Bulldogs battled their way back with a 8-5 second quarter to make it 21-17 at half. A 6-5 third quarter brought the Bulldogs within 3, but the Lady Marauders kept Ionia at bay with a 16-9 fourth quarter.   “We never really seemed to get in any kind of rhythm offensively or defensively,” said Head Coach Ryan Cunningham.  “We’ll watch the film and learn from our mistakes but to come away with a win is all we really wanted.”   Evalyn Cole and Braeden Tokar paced Ovid-Elsie with 11 points each with Cole grabbing 7 steals and Tokar 7 rebounds.  Ava Bates added 10 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots to aid the Lady Marauders.  Ellyanna Carman chipped in with 4 points, and Hailee Campbell, Aubrey Kurka and Katie Lorio each added 2 points for OE.  Kiah Longoria led the team with 4 assists.   Ovid-Elsie held a slight 25-23 rebound advantage and collected 14 steals off of 21 Ionia turnovers.  The Lady Marauders also handed out 12 assists on 16 made field goals.   The Lady Marauders will head to Pewamo-Westphalia Friday night for another non-conference tilt before hosting Dansville on Monday for the annual Service Tribute Night.