OTTOVILLE – Ottawa Glandorf senior Katie Kaufman scored a career high 20 points on Saturday afternoon to lead her Titans to a 47-38 road victory over the host Big Green.
Facing an opposing defense with no player taller than 5’9, the future Malone Pioneer utilized an array of one and two handed moves for baskets as part of her second half 12 markers.
Ottoville jumped out to an early 4-0 lead on baskets by Carly Thorbahn and Isabelle Furley with the Titans held in check for nearly the first three minutes before a triple from Kaitlyn Kimmet got her team on the board.
Multiple times through the first quarter the teams swapped leads before a Kaufman make pushed the visitors into a 9-8 lead just before the horn. Locked in a tight defensive battle the teams combined for just 20 points in the second eight minutes of play while continuing to trade scores to make it a 19-18 OG lead at halftime.
Ottoville guards Brooklyn Koester and Erica Thorbahn provided a trio of buckets in the third to keep the Big Green within striking distance in the first half of the penultimate period but were unable to slow down the trio of Kaufman, Erford, and Kaitlyn Kimmet from the field.
Senior Myka Aldrich scored six points in the game, each to give her team a lead or to extend a small lead for OG.
Three pointers from Carly Thorbahn and Jessa Burgei kept the Big Green afloat offensively in the fourth but only a single other field goal, a two from Koester with :16 remaining found the way through the net for the hosts.
Layups and free throws from Erford, Carlie Brinkman, and Megan Horstman in the waning moments secured the Titans sixth straight win over their county rivals 47-38 at the final horn.
Ottoville (12-4) will return to action on Thursday evening when they host Fort Jennings in Putnam County League play while OG (15-1) travels to Van Wert for a WBL showdown with the Cougars.
Kaufman’s 20 led all scorers on the day while OG’s Erford and Ottoville’s Carly Thorbahn each finished with 10 points.
Scoring:
OG (47):
Liv Grothause 2
Karsyn Erford 10
Carlie Brinkman 2
Megan Horstman 2
Katie Kaufman 20
Myka Aldrich 6
Kaitlyn Kimmet 5
FT: 6/10
3PT: 1 (Kimmet)
TO: 12
Ottoville (38):
Jessa Burgei 7
Brooklyn Koester 6
Erica Thorbahn 7
Jocelyn Langhals 2
Carly Thorbahn 10
Paige Turnwald 4
Isabelle Furley 2
FT: 3/4
3PT: 3 (Burgei, E. Thorbahn, C. Thorbahn)
TO: 16
JV: Ottawa Glandorf 35-15