By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
The regional semifinals didn’t provide a greener pasture for the Buckeye Central Buckettes. Instead, they ran into the defensive buzz saw known as the Ottoville Lady Green at Elida High School Thursday night.
After scoring a minimum of 70 points in each of the tournament’s games leading into Thursday’s contest, the Buckettes’ offense was ground to a halt by the Lady Green’s defense. They outscored the Buckettes 11-6 in the first quarter and 19-8 in the second to take a 30-14 halftime lead. The Buckettes top scorer for the first half was Courtney Pifher with seven points.
The Buckettes started to awaken a little in the third as they scored nine points to Ottoville’s 12 points, and outscored the Lady Green in the final stanza 13-10 to finish their season, bowing out at the Sweet Sixteen by a score of 52-36.
The Lady Green were led by Bridget Landin’s 18 points while CJ Kemper added 10 points to the Lady Green’s cause.
The Lady Green will take on the Old Fort Lady Stockaders on Saturday in the Regional Final for a birth into the Final Four of the state tournament in Division IV.
Leading the way for Buckeye Central was Haley Green who scored 10 points in her final game for the red and gray.
The Buckettes finish out their season with a record of 21-5.
Photo Gallery: Girls Basketball: Buckeye Central vs. Ottoville | WQEL BROADCAST: Buckeye Central vs Ottoville