NORTH ROBINSON (Crawford County Now) — It was part revenge and part getting ready for tournament play with a significant victory.
Either way league champion Colonel Crawford kept Wynford at bay with a 47-37 win in a Northern 10 Athletic Conference girls contest Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Eagles (19-2, 12-2) honored their four seniors —Gabby Roston, Mira Holt, Camryn Powers, and Carley Zender — prior to the game.
It was close early, tied at 12-12 after one quarter. From the start, Crawford did a good job of double-teaming Wynford post Brooke Frombaugh, holding her to 6 points.
“They do such a good job. Look at the options on sets. It’s not just one option, one action. When we prepared this week we really talked about how you’ve got to be in and out of help quick because of all the counter actions they run,” Lady Eagles head coach Zac Bauer said.
“Our girls did a good job of getting to those spots. It’s something we’ve really harped on since summertime. Can we be a good secondary help team — and we were tonight.”
Wynford (15-6, 9-5) defeated Colonel Crawford, 48-45, on Jan. 3. This time, however, the hosts took a 26-17 lead into halftime as the result of a big run.
A Caroline Sheldon 3 put Wynford up 9-2 midway through the first quarter. But Colonel Crawford went on a 15-3 run to take a 17-12 lead on a Carley Zender 3-pointer.
The game was tied at 17 with 2:32 remaining the half courtesy of another Sheldon trey. But Robin Ehmann, Zender and Lila Plesac countered with baskets to give the Lady Eagles a 9-point lead at intermission.
Wynford head coach Amy Taylor-Sheldon wasn’t surprised with the Crawford strategy.
“Brooke’s been doubled all year. We just need to be a little more composed, but they had a great defensive game plan, and they played well,” she said.
“A credit to them for being the outright league champions and you could see that today.”
Holt and Ehmann had 11 points each to lead the Lady Eagles. Ehman added 7 rebounds, playing a solid all-around game.
“Robin’s relentlessness is special for a sophomore. She motors. You saw her miss a shot down here at the beginning of the fourth quarter and sprints and gets a deflection in the open court,” Bauer said.
“That’s something that sophomores normally don’t do and that’s because of the leadership of our seniors. A special day on senior night and that is what makes her want to make that play.”
Maradath Engler and Sheldon had 10 points each for the Lady Royals. Engler added two steals, a rebound and an assist.
Frombaugh and Maggie Ridge added six points each. Frombaugh pulled in 9 rebounds and Sheldon had 5.
Wynford kept it close and got it to an 8-point deficit several times in the third quarter.
Each time, however, Colonel Crawford responded, whether it was Saylor Holt getting 6 points on cuts to the basket or Emmi Powers hitting a 10-footer in the fourth quarter.
Ehmann’s pair of free throws pushed it to 43-30, the largest lead of the game.
The biggest difference in the second meeting was clear to Bauer.
“The first time we were a little bit tense in a big environment. Earlier in the year our younger kids needed some tests. Our non-leagues tested us. We played a tight Willard game and a good team in Fredericktown. They tested us. Seneca East came in here and they tested us.
“It calloused over our young kids and it’s confidence,” he said. “You see Lila Plesac make plays in the first half. Emmi and Saylor came out and made plays. The moment wasn’t too big for them today.”
Both teams wrapped up N10 play and will turn their attention to the sectional tournament next week.
Wynford hosts Monroeville while Colonel Crawford entertains the winner of Buckeye Central/Western Reserve. Both games are 2 p.m. tipoffs on Saturday.
“We need to be a little more balanced. We have to run things perfectly clean and have other people crashing the boards too,” Taylor-Sheldon said. “We’ve got to communicate better and making sure everyone’s on the same page. I need to do a better job of communicating.
“We have a chance to win a championship this week. We’ll look at some of the errors we made and get back to that on Monday.”
Bauer likewise wants his team to keep improving, while also welcoming the respite.
“It’s nice for the first time this season to get a week between games. We can take some time to rest and recover a little bit,” he said.
“But now your focus has got to be a little sharper and more immediate. But we have a group that’s used to that and has been tested.”
Box score
Wynford 12 5 11 9 — 37
Colonel Crawford 12 14 11 10 — 47
Wynford (15-6, 9-5 N10): Shots 12-32; 3-pt. shots 4-13 (Caroline Sheldon 2, Maradath Engler 2); Free throws 9-15; Rebounds 22 (Brooke Frombaugh 9); Turnovers 13. Scoring: Caroline Sheldon 3 2 10, Bri Westrick 2 1 5, Maradath Engler 2 4 10, Brook Frombaugh 3 0 6, Maggie Ridge 2 2 6.
Colonel Crawford (19-2, 12-2 N10): Shots 18-37; 3-pt. shots 4-14 (Emmi Powers, Mira Holt); Free throws 7-9; Rebounds 20 (Robin Ehmann 7); Turnovers 8. Scoring: Saylor Holt 2 2 6, Gabby Roston 0 4 4, Lila Plesac 1 0 2, Emmi Powers 3 0 7, Mira Holt 5 0 11, Robin Ehmann 5 1 11, Carley Zender 2 0 6.
JV: Colonel Crawford 48-36.