ATTICA — For two quarters, the Seneca East defense was superior. But after Buckeye Central took the lead in the fourth period, it was the Seneca East offense that was the difference.
The Tigers held BC to just two-for-14 shooting in the first two periods and took a 19-6 lead into the break at halftime.
After the Buckettes shut out the Tigers in the third period and cut the lead to 19-13 entering the final frame, the Buckettes grabbed a 25-24 lead with 4:12 left in the game.
Seneca East, however, outscored Buckeye Central, 11-3, the rest of the way to come away with a 35-28 win in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference showdown Saturday in Attica.
Both teams are 10-1 in the conference. Seneca East is 13-2 overall and Buckeye Central is 12-3.
The win was critical for the Tigers, who couldn’t afford to fall two games behind BC in the conference.
Seneca East coach Don Vogt was impressed with the way his defense played for three quarters.
“We started out the game and took some things away,” Vogt said. “But that’s been our calling card. We preach that first and foremost and, this afternoon, I thought they played well.
“They do a lot with a couple of their players, so our strategy was to limit those looks. And, for the most part, I thought Bailey (Hamilton) and Jess Bowerman did a spectacular job,” Vogt added. “Even Brooke Bordner, when she came in off the bench, held her own. That’s kind of what we focused on.”
Buckeye Central coach Abram Kaple said that his team simply didn’t execute well enough.
“We didn’t execute very well in the first half and that’s on me as a coach to make sure we can get into things a little more fluently,” Kaple said. “We were two of 14 shooting in the first half and that’s just not very good. We looked a little rattled and a little out of character for the first 16 minutes and, unfortunately, it put us in a deficit.”
The Tigers shut down BC’s big three scorers of Claudia Pifher, Lexi Evak and Taylor Ratliff, holding them to just 11 total points, 24 below their season averages.
Still, it was Pifher’s basket that gave the Buckettes the lead midway through the final frame.
From there, though, Alexis Hicks scored, and Hamilton knocked down a huge 3-point shot for the Tigers, giving Seneca East a 29-25 lead with 2:05 left.
After BC’s Kendra Ackerman drained a 3 to cut the lead to one, Bowerman completed a three-point play, and Amelia Boes hit four free throws to seal it.
Vogt said that his team’s ability to make plays down the stretch was crucial.
“That’s a good thing to see at this point in the season, in the second round of conference and working toward the end. I told them that after the game, it was good to see them step up and handle that pressure,” Vogt said.
“Buckeye is a great team,” Vogt added. “They have a great coach and they do some very nice things. For our kids to step up and stop that, hats off to our kids.”
Kaple was pleased with his team’s ability to defend the Tigers.
“We did okay defensively, for the most part,” Kaple said. “We gave up a lot of offensive rebounds. But for the most part we executed and took away what they were trying to do. Give credit to us there.”
Ackerman and Ally Green paced the Buckettes with eight points.
Boes led Seneca East with nine points.
“They made a couple of plays down the stretch,” Kaple said. “Seneca East lives off pressuring the basketball. We didn’t do the greatest job of coming to the basketball and making good passes.
“When teams pressure you, you have to go back to the fundamentals, coming to the basketball, squaring up, just kind of the little things,” he added.
Box score
Buckeye Central 4 2 7 15 — 28
Seneca East 9 10 0 16 — 35
Buckeye Central (12-3, 10-1 N10): Shots 11-36; 3-pt. shots 5-17 (Kendra Ackerman 2, Ally Green 2, Taylor Ratliff); Free throws 1-2; Rebounds 26 (Lexi Evak 7); Turnovers 17. Scoring: Kendra Ackerman 3 0 8, Claudia Pifher 1 1 3, Taylor Ratliff 1 0 3, Ally Green 3 0 8, Lexi Evak 3 0 6.
Seneca East (13-2, 10-1 N10): Shots 13-44; 3-pt. shots 3-13 (Bailey Hamilton 2, Makenna Depinet); Free throws 6-10; Rebounds 29; Turnovers 9. Scoring: Bailey Hamilton 2 0 6, Jessica Bowerman 2 1 5, Brooke Bordner 1 0 2, Makenna Depinet 2 0 5, Amelia Boes 2 5 9, Alexis Hicks 4 0 8.
JV: Seneca East 52-33.