HOLMES TOWNSHIP — When the Wynford Lady Royals needed a play, they got it in abundance from Maradath Engler.
Wynford’s junior point guard, Engler scored all eight of her team’s points in the third period and finished with 16 of her game-high 21 points in the second half. What’s more, she made six of six free throws down the stretch as the Lady Royals came from behind to down Buckeye Central, 43-36, Tuesday night.
With the win, Wynford improved to 3-1 overall, 1-0 in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference. BC fell to 1-2 overall, 1-1 in the N10.
Wynford coach Amy Taylor-Sheldon and Buckeye Central coach Phil Loy each felt that Engler was the difference late.
“We made the free throws down the stretch,” Taylor-Sheldon said. “Maradath came through for us. She got hurt at the end of the season in June. This is like the big sign that she is back.
“She was able to go to the basket there late in the game when Caroline (Sheldon) was being denied there on the wing and Brooke (Frombaugh) was being doubled down,” Taylor-Sheldon added. “The best I’ve ever seen her play was the first three weeks in June. So, I was really excited for her to get this opportunity.”
Loy said that Engler was able to get to the basket in the final two periods.
“A lot of downhill baskets going right, a lot of ball-screen action,” Loy said. “It makes for a tough matchup when Frombaugh is setting a lot of ball screens. Engler had a great night. She made some key threes and she’s capable of doing that. She was able to get downhill with a strong hand going to the basket and she was able to finish.”
BC led for most of the game, taking a 16-9 lead after one and holding a 20-11 lead midway through the second period before the Lady Royals scored the final seven points of the period to cut the game to 20-18 at the break.
“I thought we had some good streaks,” Taylor-Sheldon added. “We turned the ball over at the end of the second quarter. We had eight straight stops at the end of the second quarter and converted on those in transition. Bri (Westrick) had scored on one and Maradath scored going to the basket.”
“In the first half, we shot the ball well,” Loy said. “In the first quarter we got down 4-0; we were afraid that they would make a run on us. But then we kinda settled in. And made a run because we made some shots, which we are capable of doing.
“I felt that, in the second quarter, we had a lot of good looks around the rim and didn’t finish,” Loy added. “That was crucial, because we could have stretched an 11-point lead, maybe, into a 16-point lead and then who knows what.”
Despite Engler’s efforts in the third period, the Buckettes, led by guard Nevaeh Metzger, were able to maintain the lead, taking a 31-26 advantage into the final frame.
Wynford finally gained the lead at 37-34 with 4:16 left in the game on a Sheldon three.
After Metzger dropped two free throws to cut the lead to one, Engler made four of four free throws and Sheldon added two free throws in the final two minutes of the game.
Taylor-Sheldon said that turnovers were critical for her team.
“The biggest thing for us was turnovers,” Taylor-Sheldon said. “Every game we’ve had so far we’ve committed 20 turnovers; today I think we had nine. For us to have those possessions were the difference in the game.
“I thought we did a much better job of talking in the third and fourth quarter,” she added. “We just didn’t communicate, and they went four of six from three and they were unguarded. We had to make some adjustments. But it was just communicating.”
Metzger led the Buckettes with 19 points, but the Lady Royals were able to shut down the rest of the starters for most of the game.
“They kept clawing back; they are a really good team, and they kept coming back,” Loy said of the Lady Royals.
“I felt like our defense was really good, but, then offensively, we kept going into those slumps; maybe we’ll have a bad turnover and missed some good looks. We can’t do that against a team like Wynford; they have some pretty good skill players,” he added.
Box score
Wynford 43, Buckeye Central 36
Buckeye Central 16 4 11 5 — 36
Wynford 9 9 8 17 — 43
Buckeye Central (1-2, 1-1 N10): Shots 13-44; 3-pt. shots 7-19 (Navaeh Metzger 3, Aleyse Siefert 2, Ella Collene 2); Free throws 3-4; Rebounds 35; Turnovers 13. Scoring: Aleyse Siefert 2 0 6, Navaeh Metzger 7 2 19, Ella Collene 2 0 6, Mary Deppen 2 1 5.
Wynford (3-1, 1-0 N10): Shots 13-41; 3-pt. shots 4-11 (Maradath Engler 3, Caroline Sheldon); Free throws 11-14; Rebounds 27; Turnovers 6. Scoring: Caroline Sheldon 1 2 5, Bri Westrick 2 2 6, Maradath Engler 6 6 21, Brook Frombaugh 3 1 7, Maggie Ridge 1 0 2, Jenna Filliater 0 2 2.