BUCYRUS — Neither team shot the ball well. Both Edison and Bucyrus shot 31 percent from the field.
What the Chargers lacked in accuracy they made up in volume. Edison had 13 more attempts than did Lady Red, paving the way to a 48-35 non-league win on Phil A. Joseph Court at Alex Kish Memorial Gymnasium.
“Credit (Edison). They worked really hard for it,” Bucyrus coach Brian Seybert said. “They wanted to come in here and get the win. They did what they had to do.”
Rebounding, particularly on the offensive end, was the main reason the Chargers got so many extra tries. Edison (3-2) grabbed 46 rebounds, including a whopping 25 offensive boards. By contrast, Lady Red had 25 total rebounds.
Unfortunately for the Chargers, they didn’t take full advantage of the rebounding imbalance. In the second period alone, they were three of 19 from the field.
“We really have been getting on the girls about rebounding because we have some really athletic girls who jump and rebound very strong,” Edison coach Chelsey Meagrow said. “The first thing is getting these rebounds. The second thing is converting. But I’m really proud of how we did rebound.”
Bucyrus (0-6) started strong, scoring the first six points of the game on a free throw and a 3-point shot from Marissa Middleton and a basket by freshman Savannah Clark with 5:32 left in the first period.
Following a timeout, the Chargers went on a 15-3 run to the end of the quarter to lead 15-9 after one. Edison never trailed again.
Making the same number of shots with half the attempts, Lady Red trimmed one point off the deficit thanks to a 3 from Reese Garvin. The Chargers led, 21-16 at intermission.
“That’s what kept them going and kept them maintaining that little bit of the lead,” Seybert said of Edison’s rebounding dominance. “We couldn’t get over the hump because we kept giving up second and third chances.”
The Chargers improved their shooting percentage in the third quarter (six of 13) which helped them to increase their advantage to 36-25 by period’s end. Six different Chargers scored in the frame.
Edison’s bench depth came into focus even more in the fourth quarter. Bucyrus was still within six at 39-33 on a pair of free throws by Middleton.
On their ensuing possession, the Chargers’ Annabelle Seville, fresh off the bench, hit a 3 from the left corner at the 2:07 mark to push the lead back to nine, effectively ending Lady Red’s comeback hopes.
“We have a very deep group,” Meagrow said. “We have 14 girls on our varsity team. Anybody at any point can come up and hit a shot. For (Seville), as a sophomore, and not play at all the entire game, to come in there and handle herself and take an open shot, I’m super proud of her.”
Edison closed the game out from there, hitting six of eight free throws to secure the win.
Another key to victory for the Chargers was their perimeter defense, especially on Lady Red leading scorer Malina Rowland, who finished with seven points.
“We had some close-to-the-basket shots we missed and that can turn things around,” Seybert said. “Maybe that takes a little pressure off Malina.”
“She’s one heck of a shooter and there’s not a shot she doesn’t like,” Meagrow said. “When you have a good shooter that finds ways to shoot, that can be a scary combination. We knew she was a good ball player, and we had our best defenders on her at all times.”
Ivy Kluding led a balanced Edison scoring attack with a game-high 11 points. Jorja Byington and Stella Brown had nine each. Ella Booth had 12 boards.
Middleton topped Bucyrus with 10 points and six rebounds. Garvin and Clark grabbed five caroms.
“We got to the rim a little more than we have been, which is good,” Seybert said. “It’s what we worked on. Now, it’s trying to be more consistent.”
Lady Red have a day to prepare for undefeated and Northern 10 Athletic Conference leader Colonel Crawford.
“Some areas still hurt us — extra putbacks, missed free throws, which could have made a difference in the game,” Seybert said. “The girls are working hard. They’re going to continue to do it.”
Edison also won the junior varsity game, 41-28. Navea Yamanouchi led the Chargers with eight points and Delaney Fields seven. Madison Tyrrell had a game-high nine points for Bucyrus and Macie Hubble added six.
Box score
Edison 15 6 15 12 — 48
Bucyrus 9 7 9 10 — 35
Edison (3-2): Shots 16-51; 3-pt. shots 3-13 (Delaney Fields, Stella Brown, Annabelle Seville); Free throws 13-24; Rebounds 46 (Ella Booth 12); Turnovers 14. Scoring: Taylor Moore 1 3 5, Ivy Kluding 2 7 11, Jorja Byington 4 1 9, Delany Field 1 0 3, Ella Booth 2 0 4, Stella Brown 3 2 9, Gracie Rang 1 0 2, Annabelle Seville 1 0 3, Brook Dickman 1 0 2.
Bucyrus (0-6): Shots 12-38; 3-pt. shots 5-18 (Karlee Shull 2, Reese Garvin, Marissa Middleton, Malina Rowland); Free throws 6-14; Rebounds 25 (Marissa Middleton 6, Reese Garvin 5, Savannah Clark 5); Turnovers 18. Scoring: Karlee Shull 2 0 6, Reese Garvin 2 1 6, Marissa Middleton 2 5 10, Malina Rowland 3 0 7, Savannah Clark 3 0 6.
JV: Edison 41-28.