CELINA – Ottawa Glandorf jumped out to a 21-0 run to open Thursday night’s WBL matchup at Celina and never looked back as they defeated the host Bulldogs 65-29.
Steals and scores were the way of the opening quarter for the #2 ranked Titans (17-2, 7-0) as they took down the Bulldogs for the 13th straight time. Senior Myka Aldrich reaped the benefit of her thievery in the first eight minutes as she accounted for fast break makes on eight of her 12 markers in the contest.
Kaitlyn Kimmet opened the flood gates for the offense early as just :15 in she dropped the first shot of the night for two of her eight markers to give OG a 2-0 advantage.
OG blitzed the scoreboard for a 10-0 lead on a basket from Karsyn Erford and ran their advantage to 21-0 before Celina junior Lilly Shreffler connected on a jumper to trim the deficit to 21-2.
“Our pressure defense made it difficult for Celina to really get into any rhythm” said Ottawa Glandorf boss Troy Yant.
Senior Katie Kaufman grabbed a trio of baskets and free throws in the first half to help her squad to a 41-14 halftime advantage and would fins herself the game high scorer with 17 point performance that included four makes in the third quarter alone.
“I thought our girls were focused early, especially our seniors Katie (Kaufman) and Myka (Aldrich). Both of those girls played with a sense of urgency that seemed to energize the whole team early on.”
Celina finished the first half with 19 turnovers, nearly double digits of which were turned into OG scoop and scores. Freshman Brooke Baucher connected on a pair of shots from beyond the arch in the first half as part of a team high 11 for the Bulldogs (7-12, 1-6).
Despite suffering through periods without a basket, the Bulldogs shined from deep again in the third quarter thanks to senior Julia Vehorn who hit two triples to bring the green and white within 45-20.
Ottawa Glandorf laced the bottom of the net with threes of their own from the duo of Karsyn Erford and Megan Horstman to ensure that the Bulldogs would get no closer. Horstman hit for four of the Titans points in the fourth quarter to finish off the victory that saw her team utilize a revolving door of subs and JV players.
“It’s always nice to let the younger players gain valuable minutes, and we were able to do that with 15 different players tonight” finished Yant.
Ottawa Glandorf is back in action next Thursday when they take the floor at the Supreme Court against visiting Shawnee while Celina is in action on Tuesday evening when they travel to Fort Recovery to tangle with the Indians in a non-league affair.
Scoring:
OG (65):
Liv Grothause 4
Karsyn Erford 7
Carlie Brinkman 4
Gracie Lammers 2
Megan Horstman 7
Savannah Recker 4
Katie Kaufman 17
Myka Aldrich 12
Kaitlyn Kimmet 8
FT: 7/10
3PT: 2 (Erford, Horstman)
TO: 12
Celina (29):
Rachel Rammel 3
Julia Vehorn 6
Allana Carroll 1
Brinley Korte 4
Alex Kimmel 2
Brooke Baucher 11
Lilly Shreffler 2
FT: 7/10
3PT: 4 (Vehorn 2, Baucher 2)
TO: 32
JV: OG 43-31