By Dan Messerschmidt
CCN Sports Director

BUCYRUS — Basketball is a family affair for the Clime/Wagner family.

It was certainly evident at the Free Throw Shooting Contest at the Crawford County Fair Wednesday afternoon.

Natalie (Clime) Wagner along with her daughters, Avelina and Hazely, and her brother, Joey, all competed in the hoop shoot in different divisions and went home with two first-place finishes and one second.

Avelina hit seven of 10 shots to win the girls’ third and fourth grade division. She accomplished it wearing her cowboy boots.

“I really don’t focus on the shoes,” Avelina said with conviction. “If it involved running, then I’d wear tennis shoes.”

Her deportment at the line while shooting indicated that this was not her first event.

“I try to get them into the gym a couple of times a week to practice,” Natalie said.

“I better win,” Hazely said of her mental approach to the contest. “Basketball is my first love.”

Hazely matched her sister by making seven of her 10 attempts to win the girls’ fifth and sixth grade division. The girls live near Delaware and attend Buckeye Valley Schools. They also participate in the free throw contest at the Delaware County Fair.

But mom upstaged the girls by hitting nine of her 10 shots in the girls’ post graduate division. Natalie was, after all, pretty good a few years back when she played at Bucyrus High School (Class of 1997) and is currently 14th on the BHS scoring list with 656 career points.

Ironically, Natalie’s nine-of-10 performance was only good for second place. Fellow BHS grad Kelsee Rehm hit 10 of 10 to win the division in which there were eight contestants. Rehm is also on the Bucyrus scoring list, sitting third with 1249 points.

“I’m not really ashamed when my mom beats me,” Hazely said.

Brother/uncle Joey competed in the boys’ post graduate division, though he did not win it despite appearing on the Bucyrus scoring list himself at No. 5 with 874 points.

“We’re starting a tradition,” Natalie said. “I think (the girls) have done it twice. We’ll be here every year, hopefully.”

Mason Ward won the boys’ third and fourth grade division by making seven of his 10 shots. Cooper Kent of Galion won the boys’ fifth and sixth grade division by connecting on nine of 10 shots.

Gwen Ruth of Wynford won the girls’ seventh and eight grade division, making nine of 10. Jansen Gregory won the boys’ seventh and eighth grade division and Taylor Ratliff of Buckeye Central took the girls’ ninth and 10th grade division, while Judson Gregory won the boys ninth and 10 grade group.

A.J. Phillips of Galion took the boys’ post graduate division in s shoot-off with Curt Booker of Bucyrus.

There were 38 competitors total across the 11 divisions.