WILLARD — The Northwest District is preparing for Buckeye Central-Seneca East III.
The two Northern 10 Athletic Conference powers advanced to the final of the Division IV district after taking semifinal wins Thursday night at Willard High School.
Seneca East (21-3) advanced with a 41-30 win over Norwalk St. Paul. Buckeye Central (19-5) on the other hand, hit eight of 10 shots in the second quarter, and eight 3-point shots for the game, in a 50-34 win over Mid-Buckeye Conference champion Lucas (20-5).
The two teams split games this season. The Buckettes bested Seneca East, 42-40, on December 10 and the Lady Tigers came back on January 18 and beat BC, 35-28.
Now, it’s time for game three.
“This is what both teams wanted, what both communities want, with a district title on the line,” Buckeye Central coach Abram Kaple said. “We saw the crowd last year and we hope that this gym is full for both teams. It’s going to be exciting and both teams deserve every bit of notoriety. It will be a night no one will ever forget.”
The Buckettes came out and drained three 3s in the first period then shot the lights out in the second and grabbed a 34-14 lead at the break. BC knocked down eight from beyond the arc for the game as point guard Taylor Ratliff scored all 15 of her points in the first two periods.
Lucas coach Kathy Grover said that her team faced a hot-shooting Buckettes team two years ago as well.
“It was kinda deja vu,” Grover said. “When we played them in the finals two years ago, we had grandpas on the recorder, and they made their first eight shots. The ninth one they missed, and you could hear the grandpas saying, ‘They are human.’
“When you have four girls who can shoot the 3 and make it in the first half, they came out ready,” she added.
The Buckettes did an outstanding job moving the basketball offensively and getting turnovers and turning them into points defensively.
“The first half was huge for us,” Kaple said. “Jumping out early, we go (eight) of 10 in the (second quarter). And if you do that, you’re going to be in a good spot at halftime and win a lot of games.
“We’re happy with the way we shot the ball and executed offensively. And that starts with getting stops on the defensive end. That gives us confidence and one feeds into the other.”
The Buckettes led by 22, 45-23, on a Kendra Ackerman basket early in the fourth period, before the Cubs were able to cut into the lead a little bit, getting the deficit down to 16 late in the game.
“We told (the girls) at halftime that we dug a hole and the only way to get out of it was gut-check time,” Grover said. “We told them its 55, full-court, and that was the rest of the way. We cut it to 13, maybe 16, but we couldn’t get any closer than that.
“We did not shoot well,” she added. “There were times when I think our girls didn’t take shots that they should have took. I really thought we were going to play loose and at up-tempo. And I think we did. However, the ball wouldn’t go through the net.”
Kaple said that, while his team is known for shooting the basketball, it was his team’s defense that was the difference.
“I personally feel that we don’t get enough credit as a defensive team,” Kaple said. “I feel that teams look at us as ‘they’re good at offense.
“We’ve done a good job defensively. Over the past 10 games, I don’t know how many times we’ve allowed 35 points. We lock in on that end of the floor and that’s what wins you games.”
Claudia Pifher added 11 points for the Buckettes. Jessie Grover led Lucas with eight points.
Box score
Buckeye Central 50, Lucas 34
Buckeye Central 14 20 7 9 — 50
Lucas 5 9 9 11 — 34
Buckeye Central (19-5): Shots 16-35; 3-pt. shots 8-13 (Taylor Ratliff 4, Ally Green 3, Kendra Ackerman); Free throws 10-14; Rebounds 28 (Claudia Pifher 7); Turnovers 18. Scoring: Kendra Ackerman 2 0 5, Claudia Pifher 3 6 11, Julia Evak 1 0 2, Taylor Ratliff 5 1 15, Ally Green 3 0 9, Lexi Evak 2 4 8.
Lucas (20-5): Shots 13-47; 3-pt. shots 3-15 (Kayla Hignite, Shelby Grover, Jamie Grover); Free throws 5-6; Rebounds 20; Turnovers 22. Scoring: Kayla Hignite 2 0 5, Shelby Grover 2 0 5, Jamie Grover 2 0 5, Morgan Sweat 2 3 7, Jessie Grover 3 2 8, Paige Arnold 2 0 4.