NORTH ROBINSON (Crawford County Now) — A young and scrappy Buckeye Central team made the short drive down Route 602 worthwhile and memorable.
Colonel Crawford (20-2) advanced with a physical 36-32 win Saturday in a girls Division VI sectional final. But it wasn’t an easy victory for the No. 2 seed Lady Eagles.
“That’s what the tournament is about. You’re going to get everybody’s best shot. They shot the ball really well,” said Crawford head coach Zac Bauer.
“We told the kids it wasn’t pretty, but we still get to practice on Monday. We got out with a win.”
The Lady Eagles went up 9-2 to start the contest as the visitors could not buy a bucket, going 0-for-12 from the floor.
“We knew how tough they were and how they were playing. We just tried to stress so much fundamental stuff. I’m so proud of how our girls played defensively,” Buckettes head coach Phil Loy said.
With the win Colonel Crawford advances to the district semifinal Thursday against fourth seed New London, which beat Mansfield Christian 30-21. That game is in Willard’s Robert L Haas Gymnasium at 6 p.m.
Buckeye Central ends its season at 10-14, with a number of close losses.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t shoot the ball very well. We got some good looks … whether it’s attacking the basket or running some of our sets or getting some spot-up 3s. That first quarter kind of just buried us a little bit. In a game like this you’ve got to make some of those,” Loy said.
“We got down 9-2 and I’m thinking we could get blown out of here.”
But that didn’t happen.
The Buckettes clawed their way back to make it a 5-point halftime deficit. Nevaeh Metzger had 5 of her 8 points as BC outscored Colonel Crawford 10-8 in the second quarter.
“They did a good job driving to the hips of our defenders and then pitching the ball back. We struggled to recover after we showed help,” Bauer said.
Grace Collene led the way with 10 points and 5 rebounds. Fellow senior Metzger added her 8 plus 4 rebounds and a pair of assists.
The veteran Lady Eagles team countered as Mira Holt registered 4 points, including two off a steal. She scored off a Buckeye turnover before freshman Megan Siefert hit a 3 at the buzzer to pull her team to within 24-21 heading to the fourth period.
Robin Ehmann, who finished with 7 points and 11 boards, hit a 10-footer that pushed Colonel Crawford to a 26-21 lead. Then Lexi Duré scored to keep the margin at 7 points.
Again, Buckeye responded.
This time Megan Siefert dropped a 3 with 4:33 remaining to keep her team in the game. The teams traded free throws before Gabby Roston converted on 6-of-8 from the charity stripe to maintain a 32-26 lead.
A Collene trey once again made it a 5-point game with 27 seconds remaining.
Roston’s pair of free throws made it 36-29, before Macy Deppen drained a 3 as time ran out.
Getting a first-round bye meant a week-long wait for this game.
“It’s been a long time since we played, but we got some rest. For the tournament, it’s going to be one day a time. We do get to play on Thursday, so it won’t be as long of a layoff,” Bauer said.
“Preparation starts tomorrow and we practice Monday and go from there.”
Emmi Powers scored 12 points, including 5-of-6 from the foul line, and snared 5 rebounds for Colonel Crawford.
Buckeye Central was plagued by foul trouble early with all five starters affected. Collene picked up her fourth as did Aleyse Seyfert, who fouled out in the fourth quarter.
“We’re as fundamental as they come. We’re not going to press the heck out of you or throw a bunch of defenses at you,” Loy said. “Basic man, half-court defense. I don’t have the depth or the personnel to do anything special.
“I told them at halftime I was proud because we were staying even with them, the best team in our league. Our freshmen stepped up to the challenge.”
At one point Loy had three of them on the floor in Jenna Cianflone, Harper Kantzer, and Megan Siefert. The trio contributed 8 points and 4 rebounds.
The veteran coach spoke about his team’s fight.
“Our girls grew a lot as the season went along. We lost a lot of one- or two-possession games. Our record is a little deceiving for who we played and how close those losses were,” Loy said.
The loss of junior Ella Collene after 15 games also forced changes for the Buckettes.
“She was a good 3-point shooter. Losing her — just her knowledge on the floor — and when you replace somebody like that it changes who you are. It is more pressure on the freshmen. But Jenna did great stepping up in that role.”
Box score
Buckeye Central 2 10 9 11 — 32
Colonel Crawford 9 8 7 12 — 36
Buckeye Central (10-14): Shots 10-47; 3-pt. shots 6-25 (Grace Collene 2, Megan Siefert 2, Nevaeh Metzger, Macy Deppen); Free throws 6-10; Rebounds 25 (Aleyse Siefert 7); Turnovers 9. Scoring: Jenna Cianflone 1 0 2, Aleyse Siefert 0 3 3, Grace Collene 4 0 10, Megan Siefert 2 0 6, Nevaeh Metzger 2 3 8, Macy Deppen 1 0 3.
Colonel Crawford (20-2): Shots 11-36; 3-pt. shots 2-15 (Emmi Powers, Carley Zender); Free throws 12-17; Rebounds 27 (Robin Ehmann 11); Turnovers 9. Scoring: Saylor Holt 1 0 2, Gabby Roston 0 6 6, Emmi Powers 3 5 12, Mira Holt 2 0 4, Robin Ehmann 3 1 7, Lexi Duré 1 0 2, Carley Zender 1 0 3.