GREEN CAMP — When two evenly-matched teams meet, a close game is usually the result.
Bucyrus and Elgin girls did not disappoint.
The Lady Redmen and the Comets battled through six ties and eight lead changes. Bucyrus led by as many as eight and Elgin by six. When the dust settled, the Lady Redmen held on for a 42-40 non-league victory.
“Hung on. Perfect words,” Bucyrus coach Brian Seybert said. “I thought maybe there was going to be a stretch there in the fourth quarter that were going to pull away — we were making some shots, getting some looks that we wanted — we just weren’t getting (enough) makes. But we’ll take it. It’s a ‘W’.”
The Redmen did manage to finally get what appeared to be breathing room when they expanded their lead to 42-37 with 17 seconds left in the game. But when a team has struggled for wins for several years, no lead is safe until the final buzzer.
Brooklyn Mathews sank three free throws with 11 seconds left to cut the deficit to 42-40 and then Elgin (7-8) forced a turnover on the inbounds pass to set up a 3-point shot from Mathews in the right corner that would have won the game had it fallen.
“The biggest thin is, we missed bunnies after bunnies,” Elgin coach Bob Douds said. “Everyone was upset with a couple calls here and there. But you know what? If we make the bunnies, we’re not in that situation.”
It was a game of ebb and flow, with both teams making their share of mistakes and key plays at the same time.
Bucyrus (2-8) got off to a quick start, going out to an 8-4 lead. The Comets rallied with the last eight points of the frame to take a 12-8 lead after one.
The Redmen his just two of nine shots and committed seven turnovers in the first eight minutes.
“It’s more that we’re just pressuring ourselves and forcing our own hand into turnovers,” Seybert said. “Turnovers have killed us all year — almost got us here.”
With better shooting and fewer turnovers in the second quarter, the Redmen poured in 16 points and took a 24-22 lead into the halftime locker room.
“They mixed it up a little bit,” Douds said of Bucyrus. “We were not really prepared for a man-to-man (defense). Every film we watched it was all zone. So, we’ve been working on our zone (offense), and they come out in a full-court man.”
The Redmen reeled off the first six points of the third quarter to build the lead to 30-22, their biggest of the night. But this time, Elgin roared back to cut the deficit to 32-30 by period’s end.
The Comets scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to regain the advantage at 36-32.
“These guys are middle of the pack — if not 3 or 4 — in their conference (Northwest Central),” Seybert said. “it’s a good team. They’ve got seven wins.”
Bucyrus then went on a 10-1 run, capped by a Maddie Kimmel free throw, to set the stage for the frantic final 17 seconds.
“You’ve got to give Bucyrus credit. They did enough to win the game,” Douds said. “That’s all you can ask for them. They play some tough teams. People talk about their record. In the Northern 10, they play some good teams. They were much, much better than what their record (was).”
Mathews finished with a game-high 13 points for Elgin and Mikayla Hill added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Kimmel and Emma Tyrrell shared scoring honors for Bucyrus with 12 points. Tyrrell grabbed 10 rebounds and Addy Rister had nine boards. The Redmen held a 38-31 edge on the glass, including 17 offensive rebounds.
“I thought we attacked, and I thought we got to the rim,” Seybert said. “Again, we’ve just got to finish.”
“We were 1-21 last year, so we’re progressing,” Douds said. “But these are the games that are always the hardest. Sometimes, you wonder if it’s easier to get beat by 30.
“We have four seniors, but we still have a lot of young kids out there that haven’t had a whole lot of varsity time. They just need to learn from the mistakes.”
Elgin earned a split on the night with a narrow 33-31 win in the junior varsity game. Sierra Beal had 12 points for the Comets. Kendra Blizzard had 10 points to top Bucyrus and Addy Rister added six.
Box score
Bucyrus 8 16 8 10 — 42
Elgin 12 10 8 10 — 40
Bucyrus (2-8): Shots 14-47; 3-pt. shots 4-12 (Maddie Kimmel 2, Kendra Blizzard, Karmyn Blizzard); Free throws 10-17; Rebounds 38 (Emma Tyrrell 10, Addy Rister 9); Turnovers 28. Scoring: Maddie Kimmel 3 4 12, Kendra Blizzard 2 1 6, Emma Tyrrell 4 4 12, Marissa Middleton 2 0 4, Karmyn Blizzard 3 1 8.
Elgin (7-8): Shots 15-47; 3-pt. shots 3-11 (Brooklyn Mathews 2, Sam Girton); Free throws 7-15; Rebounds 31 (Mikayla Hill 9); Turnovers 22. Scoring: Brooklyn Mathews 4 3 13, Katie Yates 1 2 4, Sam Girton 3-0 7, Addie Holland 1 0 2, Gracie Isler 1 0 2, Mikayla Hill 5 2 12.
JV: Elgin 33-31.