Defense keys Lady Green district title

By Robin Eberle, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Monday, March 5, 2007 (1 year, 5 months ago)
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The Lady Green used its tenacious defense and strong free-throw shooting to down the Lady Knights 47-31.ELIDA — Offense wins games, defense wins championships.

At some point in time, that’s a phrase used by coaches in almost every basketball locker room from the college ranks all the way down to junior high to motivate players and teams. It’s such a popular phrase that it has made it on the backs of basketball camp T-shirts, anywhere there is a ball to be dribbled or shot. The second, less-popular phrase — but no less true — used is that teams that don’t make free throws don’t last long.

Ottoville had both going its way Saturday night versus Crestview in the Division IV district finals at the spacious Elida Fieldhouse. The Lady Green used its tenacious defense and strong free-throw shooting to down the Lady Knights 47-31.

“I was pleased with our defensive intensity and our free-throw shooting,” Ottoville coach David P. Kleman commented.

The Lady Green’s stellar defense shocked the young and talented Lady Knights (16-5) in the first eight minutes of action, forcing them into 11 turnovers and taking a commanding 18-6 first-period advantage.

Ottoville would then only make two baskets over the next three quarters, a statistic one would assume would doom the Lady Green.

That’s where the charity line would come into play: 25-of-31 free throws in those final 24 minutes solved that.

Ottoville’s defense forced the Lady Knights into 25 total turnovers — 15 coming off of steals — and would scorch the nets from the 15-foot line with a 78 percent performance in canning 28-of-36 to claim the district championship.

With the stakes high and the nervous energy of both teams apparent, Ottoville and Crestview traded possessions for two minutes before Ottoville standout senior Erica Vorst started what was to be a defensive ambush with a steal and layup at 5:45 of the first quarter and added a stickback for a 4-0 advantage. Kelsey Nedderman’s layin at the 5-minute mark got Crestview on the board. The Lady Green’s lone 3-pointer came from sophomore sharpshooter Trisha Honigford and back-to-back steals and layups by Vorst and Honigford bumped Ottoville’s lead to 13-2. A free throw from Nedderman was answered by another Vorst basket, followed by a Krystal Markward steal and layup and a Gina Beining steal and foul shot with 20 seconds remaining extended the Ottoville advantage to 18-4. A driving jumper in the lane at the buzzer by Melissa Eickholt found Crestview on the short end of an 18-6 first-stanza score.

The Lady Knight’s got a jump start in the second frame with two free throws from Eickholt and outscored the Lady Green 10-8 to finish the first half down 26-16.

The third quarter saw Crestview’s offensive woes continue, a mere five markers. Ottoville canned 9-of-10 from the line and added their only two buckets of the second half to seize a 40-21 spread.

The Lady Green finished the final stanza controlling the tempo for a 47-31 victory.

Ottoville was paced by Vorst with 14 markers, five steals and 6-of-6 from the line. Courtney Schimmoeller followed with nine points on 7-of-7 from the stripe. The Lady Green returns for regional play against Liberty Center at 6:15 p.m. Thursday at the Elida Fieldhouse.

Crestview was paced by Nedderman with 15 points and Eickholt 14.

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