Hamilton Community Schools

January 7th 2026 Lady Marines Edge North Side in a Thriller The night began with the Lady Marines traveling to Fort Wayne to take on the North Side Legends in a tightly contested matchup. Hamilton showed poise and resilience, escaping with a 47–46 nail-biter victory. Senior TeigAnn Freed led the scoring effort with 11 points, including two three-pointers. One of those triples came right before halftime, a buzzer-beater that cut the deficit to just one point as the Marines trailed 22–23 at the break. Tristen Creager added 10 points, scoring in all four quarters and providing steady production throughout the night. Marissa Mercer delivered a huge momentum swing late in the third quarter, knocking down a buzzer-beating three to give Hamilton a 38–31 lead heading into the final period. Freshmen Gianna Ceci and Lilli Dager each chipped in 8 points, continuing their strong play, while Brenna Mercer calmly knocked down a pressure free throw late to help seal the win. The victory marks Hamilton’s 4th win of the season, officially surpassing last year’s three-win total. The Lady Marines now have six regular-season games remaining, including Senior Day this Saturday, with the girls varsity game tipping off at 1:30pm as part of a triple header. Marines Boys Pull Away at Smith Academy The varsity boys followed with an equally impressive performance at Smith Academy. After trailing by six points at halftime, the Marines turned up the intensity in the second half, outscoring Smith Academy decisively on their way to a 56–35 road win. Xzavier Schieber led all scorers with 19 points, while Larsen Dilts added 11 and Copper Farnham chipped in 9. Abbott Lingo finished with 7 points, Robert Schiek had 4, and Asa Osborn and Graysen Dilts each added 2 to round out the balanced scoring attack. Both the JV boys and varsity boys teams will be back in action tonight at home, with tip-off starting at 6:00pm. A great night for Hamilton basketball and plenty of momentum heading into the rest of the week!