OTTAWA – Three players in double figures and balanced scoring Saturday afternoon at the Supreme Court sent Ottawa Glandorf to a 69-34 victory over visiting Fairview.
Junior guard Carlie Brinkman dominated the early portion of the third quarter with three consecutive fast break baskets and finished with a career high 16 points while teammates Savannah Recker and Katie Kaufman scored 11 and 18 respectively to establish their own career high marks.
OG raced out to a 4-0 lead on baskets from seniors Myka Aldrich and Kaufman while utilizing their stifling defense to keep the Apaches at bay until the 5:20 mark when a charity toss from Kelly Crites found the bottom of the net.
Senior Haley Hammer kept Fairview within striking distance in the first quarter with a pair of triples before a shot from teammate Alexis Taylor tied the game 11-11 with 1:11 to go. Megan Horstman pushed the Titans back into the advantage with a triple of her own with :56 to give her squad a 14-13 lead at the end of one period.
Early in the second stanza Hammer struck again from beyond the arc, this time on the opening possession to bring the visitors within 17-16.
Ottawa Glandorf, already depleted due to injury lost forward Myka Aldrich when she exited the game in the middle of the second quarter with an injury that required her to be taken to the trainers room for examination.
Sophomore guard Liv Grothause connected on 4/4 from the line over the next few minutes to give OG a 20-16 lead at 6:28 while helping teammates Brinkman, Kaufman, and Recker to their own baskets and a 32-22 halftime lead.
“Carlie Brinkman really stepped up, as did Savannah Recker and Alivia Grothause, especially after Myka Aldrich went out of the game” said OG coach Troy Yant. “Katie Kaufman gave us consistent effort and did a good job making sure our offense was balanced.”
In addition to Brinkman taking over the early portion of the period, OG got balanced scoring and great defense from multiple players while outscoring the Apaches 19-8 to amass a 51-30 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play.
Fairview’s only two baskets of the ensuing stanza came from Kayla Mavis at 6:45 and Kelly Crites with 3:12 to go in the game. Crites finished with a team high 11 points on the afternoon, seven points below her season average through three games of 18.
Ottawa Glandorf’s quintet of Brinkman (6), Recker (5), Kaufman (4), Madie Liebrecht (2), and Grothause (1) finished off the Titan scoring for the afternoon and instituted a running clock with a 35 point lead just a minute before the final horn to secure a 69-34 win.
“Today was another step forward for the team but we need to get better at the free throw line. We got to the line 25 times today but converted just 12 opportunities” said Yant. “We need to continue to build our depth and today was a big step forward in that regard.”
Fairview falls to 2-2 and will be in action Monday at home against Wauseon and again on Tuesday taking on Continental. OG (4-0) is on the road Tuesday night for their next outing as they tangle with rival Liberty Benton.
Scoring:
OG (69):
Liv Grothause 9
Carlie Brinkman 16
Madie Liebrecht 5
Megan Horstman 3
Savannah Recker 11
Katie Kaufman 18
Myka Aldrich 2
Kaitlyn Kimmet 5
3PT: 5 (Recker 2, Kimmet, Horstman, Madie Liebrecht)
FT: 12/25
TO: 19
Fairview (34):
Kayla Mavis 4
Bethany Singer 2
Kelly Crites 11
Aubrey Hammer 3
Haley Hammer 9
Alexis Taylor 5
3PT: 4 (Haley Hammer 3, Aubrey Hammer)
FT: 4/10
TO: 28
JV: OG 51-29 (OG’s Liv Grothause 22 pts)