HOLMES TOWNSHIP (Crawford County Now) — Wynford took its first step on the tournament trail with a 44-12 win over South Central in a girls Division VI sectional final here Thursday night.

The game was never in doubt as the outmanned, but scrappy, Lady Trojans committed 22 turnovers and shot just 10% from the floor.

The Lady Royals stormed out to a 12-0 lead after the first quarter as four players reached the scoring column, led by Jenna Filliater’s pair of 3s. Filliater, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, finished with 16 points and 9 rebounds.

“We missed some shots early, but I thought defensively we did a good job trying to contain, contest and set the tone. We set the pace early. I was pleased with our effort,” said head coach Amy Taylor-Sheldon.

Next up is league and county rival Buckeye Central. The Buckettes topped Mansfield Christian, 57-33, and will play the Lady Royals (18-5) Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Shelby in the second district semifinal game.

Backing up Filliater were Rylee Robinson and Maradath Engler with 8 points apiece. Engler added 5 boards and 3 steals.

All-district guard Caroline Sheldon scored just 5 points, but contributed 7 steals, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Wynford had 18 steals as Paige Sheldon and Amy Liming added 3 each.

“We started the third quarter with 4 steals on 5 possessions,” she said. “I was really happy to come after halftime and be locked in on defense and got a chance to give everybody a chance to play in a sectional championship game.”

That allowed Wynford (18-5) to go on a 9-0 run and effectively seal the win from that point.

South Central (6-17) struggled all game and managed only 4 field goals.

Head coach Tod Fox knew his team faced a stiff challenge.

“We’re just trying to get better. We play in a good conference with good teams like New London, Mapleton and Crestview. We competed, just not the outcome we want,” he said.

“The girls did a great job, and I appreciate their effort and intensity. Whether we are winning by 50 or losing by 50, they have that mentality that they’re going to play hard. They enjoy playing together and it’s been a good team as far as cohesiveness and getting along.”

Fox said his squad has battled injury and illness for much of the season.

Falynn Schumacher led the team with 6 points and 4 steals. Emily Lamoreaux grabbed 9 rebounds and two steals.

“Their team played really hard, but they didn’t have a good shooting night. We tried to capitalize on that. Jenna had a big night from 3. Rylee rebounded well and Maradath played super hard,” Taylor-Sheldon said.

“It was an unfamiliar opponent, but we did our best to control our attitude and effort. We get to play another day. I am happy for our kids to get to cut down the net in our own gym.”

Wynford defeated BC twice during Northern 10 Athletic Conference play by scores of 47-30 and 38-24.

“People say that it’s hard to beat somebody three times, but we’ll do our best. I’m sure (Buckeye Central head coach) Tyler (Shade) will have them at their best to compete,” Taylor-Sheldon said.

Box score

South Central      0           4         3        5 — 12

Wynford             12        10       18        4 — 44

South Central (6-17): Shots 4-41; 3-pt. shots 2-13 (Falynn Schumacher 2); Free throws 2-10; Rebounds 39 (Emily Lamoreaux 9); Turnovers 22. Scoring: Sydnee Middaugh 1 0 2, Karli Smith 1 0 2, Viola Culler 0 1 1, Falynn Schumacher 2 0 6, Kenlea Blair 0 1 1.

Wynford (18-5): Shots 14-41; 3-pt. shots 4-19 (Jenna Filliater 3, Maradath Engler); Free throws 12-17; Rebounds 33 (Jenna Filliater 9); Turnovers 10. Scoring: Rylee Robinson 4 0 8, Caroline Sheldon 1 3 5, Megan Young 0 1 1, Maradath Engler 3 1 8, Maggie Ridge 1 1 3, Allison Brewer 0 1 1, Reilly Teynor 1 0 2, Jenna Filliater 4 5 16.