WILLARD (Crawford County Now) — For the second straight year a powerhouse Northwest Ohio program kept Colonel Crawford out of the regional round.
Despite a terrific effort and holding the lead for a good portion of the contest, the Lady Eagles fell to Margaretta 45-40 in the girls’ Division VI district championship at Robert Haas Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
After falling behind 8-0 just two minutes into the game, Colonel Crawford turned up a relentless defensive effort and gave the Lady Bears all they could handle.
“They’re well coached and play really solid half-court defense, and they got into us early. We had to make a few adjustments at halftime and were able to get it done,” said Margaretta head coach Ray Neill.
Colonel Crawford finishes at 21-2 while Margaretta (20-5) advances to the regional at Bluffton.
The Lady Eagles got strong showings from senior Mira Holt, with 15 points, four rebounds, three steals, and one block. Sophomore post Robin Ehmann added 16 points and 10 rebounds.
“We’ve been bad at the beginning of games the past six games,” said head coach Zac Bauer. “We spot them eight at the beginning of the game and we lose by five. You have to fight through adversity and it’s about who can deal with adversity the best.”
After the rough start Colonel Crawford came back to draw within a point at 14-13 after one quarter. That was fueled by Holt’s seven points and Ehmann’s six.
The officials allowed the girls to play, but the Lady Eagles only went to the foul line four times, compared with Margaretta’s 9-of-16 effort.
“We knew coming in that they were physical. But the thing we’ve been blessed with is kids who are ready to rise to the challenge,” Bauer said.
“We said, are you going to be ready to play for a district championship. When you lay your head down tonight can you really say that you did everything you could do or were you on your heels or were you lackadaisical for a minute? And we weren’t.”
Far from it.
Colonel Crawford forced 14 turnovers, nine coming in the first half.
Several lead changes punctuated the first half. Holt hit an eight-footer to put her team up 15-14 and when she found Ehmann open inside the Lady Eagles took a 21-16 lead and had the momentum.
Ehmann added another basket and Ellyse Schaefer countered for Margaretta. The result was a 23-19 lead at halftime.
“Sometimes in district finals your game plan has to get altered quick, and it did,” Bauer said. “Our kids adjusted really well … and our young kids play like veterans today.”
A year ago, the Lady Bears won handily, 41-26. This time it was a different story.
“Last year they came out and shocked us with their physicality. Their eyes got wide. This year it didn’t and that’s the difference a year makes,” Bauer said.
“You have to turn it up a little bit when you get down eight points. A credit to the girls for sticking their nose in there and making some plays.”
Crawford cooled off slightly in the third quarter, being outscored 10-6, as Ehmann and Cassidy Lane battled in the paint.
The two teams went into the final eight minutes knotted at 29.
Lane led Margaretta with 15 points and eight rebounds. Grace Paseka added 14, including four 3s.
“Grace waited her turn to be a starter for us as a senior and today she steps up in this environment and has not just the best game she’s had this season. She had the best game of her high school career,” Neill said.
Lane, a 6-foot junior, gave the Lady Bears the lead to open the fourth quarter. Paseka then drained a 3 to counter a Holt basket. Lane added a pair of free throws and had seven in that period.
Neill said his team kept its calm down the stretch and due to a strong non-league schedule was ready for a battle.
“At halftime I said listen, our schedule has prepared us for what we’ve got to get done in the second half. Playing Notre Dame Academy, playing Bellevue twice, and playing Shelby … those kinds of teams hardened us for how well Colonel Crawford is playing right now.”
Gabby Roston’s only basket cut it 42-37 after Margaretta opened up a seven-point lead with under two minutes remaining.
Paseka’s pair of free throws gave the Lady Bears another district title, their sixth in eight years under Neill.
“One of the jobs of a coach is to make practices somewhat uncomfortable. I applaud my coaching staff. But Colonel Crawford, that program, they play defense like we do,” he said.
Bauer credited his four seniors, specifically Holt, for their efforts.
“She really rose to the occasion tonight. It’s what you expect an all-Ohioan to do. She should be all-Ohio again. She’s a kid that leads a 21-win team to the district finals. You want your best player to play well, and she did,” he said.
“It starts with Mira, but it goes hand-in-hand with Gabby. She’s fearless. She’s relentless and she’s the engine that makes this team go.”
Carley Zender and Camryn Powers also contributed to the success.
“I had a conversation with Carley last spring and said we need you to make one 3 every game,” Bauer recalled.
“She said I’ll make 30 on the year and she’s done that. She worked so much over the summer to become that 3-point specialist for us and knowing her role.
“The emotional support that Camryn played for this team. She found a way to make an impact on our team without playing a lot. She knew the scouting report and communicated to the kids on the floor. She doesn’t get enough credit for that. But good teams are built from kids like that who are willing to put themselves out there and find value when they’re not getting time.”
The quartet were sophomores when Bauer took over the program.
“It’s really, really hard to say good-bye.”
Box score
Colonel Crawford 13 10 6 11 — 40
Margaretta 14 5 10 16 — 45
Colonel Crawford (21-3): Shots 19-40; 3-pt. shots 1-9 (Mira Holt); Free throws 1-4; Rebounds 18 (Robin Ehmann 10); Turnovers 10. Scoring: Gabby Roston 1 0 2, Emmi Powers 1 1 3, Mira Holt 7 0 15, Robin Ehmann 8 0 16, Lexi Duré 2 0 4.
Margaretta (20-5): Shots 15-27; 3-pt. shots 6-11 (Grace Paseka 4, Ellyse Schaefer 2); Free throws 9-16; Rebounds 19 (Cassidy Lane 8); Turnovers 14. Scoring: Julia Berg 1 0 2, Grace Paseka 4 2 14, Cassidy Lane 5 5 15, Ellyse Schaefer 4 0 10, Dani Grunden 1 1 3, Kenadie Saylor 0 1 1.