Hamilton Community Schools

January 17th 2026 The Hamilton Marines girls basketball team picked up a milestone victory Tuesday night, defeating the Canterbury Cavaliers 55–38 on the road in Fort Wayne. The game was played in front of a packed house as Canterbury honored its seniors as part of a tripleheader, but Hamilton rose to the occasion to secure its first Hoosier Plains Conference win and a night to remember. Hamilton set the tone early, knocking down four three-pointers in the opening quarter, including three from senior Marissa Mercer, to take a 19–14 lead after one. The Marines continued to build momentum on both ends of the floor and went into halftime leading 30–20. Canterbury made a push in the third quarter, trimming the margin to 37–31 heading into the fourth, but the Marines responded with their best stretch of the night. Hamilton outscored the Cavaliers 18–7 in the final quarter, pulling away behind strong defense, rebounding, and unselfish play. Mercer led the Marines with a complete performance, finishing with 14 points, four three-pointers, eight rebounds, five assists, five deflections, and two steals. TeigAnn Freed posted a dominant double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and five steals, while Lydia Hicks added 13 points, including two threes, along with eight rebounds and two assists. Tristen Creager contributed nine points and three rebounds, Brenna Mercer chipped in two points and seven rebounds, and Lilli Dager and Gianna Ceci each added two points and two rebounds. The win marked Hamilton’s fifth victory of the season, the program’s most wins since the 2016–17 season, and the first conference win overall for the Marines since December 10, 2016. Hamilton will look to build on the momentum next Saturday when the Marines travel to Bethany Christian for another Hoosier Plains Conference road matchup.