SHELBY (Crawford County Now) — Colonel Crawford wasted little time in setting the tone in the Division VI district semifinal opener at Shelby High School Wednesday night.
The Lady Eagles (22-2) got 6 points from Saylor Holt, relied on their defense and began stealing the ball from Crestview almost at will in a 57-28 victory.
“You want to see your kids play in the moment and execute possession by possession. We tried to keep the game really simple in segments and play really, really hard,” head coach Zac Bauer said.
“Crestview plays hard and plays to their standard. We wanted to play hard out of the gate, and everything will kind of take care of itself.”
It certainly did as far as Crawford was concerned.
Emmi Powers, a sophomore who earned first team all Northern 10 Athletic Conference honors, led the way with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 7 steals and a pair of assists.
“Emmi is a gamer and is super-super competitive on the floor. She plays a lot of basketball and if you take her off the floor, she is a role model and that just shows maturity beyond her age.”
Robin Ehmann added 17 points and 7 boards, and Holt finished with 10 markers, a rebound and 3 steals. Ehmann, a junior, was chosen as one of three N10 Co-Players of the Year.
In all, the Cougars committed 17 turnovers to 10 for the victors.
Next up is Columbus Grove (21-3) in the championship at 3 p.m. Saturday at Shelby. The Bulldogs topped Carey, 53-20, in another semifinal at Lima.
Ehmann and Powers helped push the lead to 35-15 at halftime, ending with a Holt basket.
“Coach Bauer told us to play hard and I’m very proud of our girls,” Powers said.
Powers converted several of her steals into lay-ups as the Lady Eagles cruised into the district finals.
“Film was a big help for this; that’s where it starts and where it ends. You’ve got to study the scouting report, and you’ve got to be ready,” she said.
Despite their youth, the moment wasn’t too big.
“We are going to go play our absolute best,” Powers said. “We are considered the underdogs, but no one should count us out. Push hard, play hard.”
A young team that features a pair of seniors, the Lady Eagles show a great deal of poise.
“I won’t say they weren’t anxious about this game, but at the same time, we played in some big games in our league and nonleague schedule. We played Willard and Clear Fork and scrimmaged Bellevue, Patrick Henry, Ashland and Margaretta.
“That prepared us for this moment. We are used to playing in tight, competitive games where we were pushed beyond our comfort zone.”
With the win, Colonel Crawford prepares for the next step in the journey.
“We need to take care of what we can take care of. Control the controllables,” Bauer said.
“Keep it in house and play to our standard, but adaptability is a big thing and be ready tomorrow as we prepare for Saturday.”
Shelby Bays had 14 points for Ashland Crestview, which concludes its season at 13-10.
“The young guns, they have grown so much from the start of the season to now,” Crestview coach Amy Bays said.
“We were underestimated and people didn’t think we would have the season we had. If it wasn’t for them buying into what the seniors were promoting within our program, we wouldn’t be where we are at.”
Tori Kidney added 5 points and 2 rebounds. Kidney and Makenzie Spoerr played their final game for Crestview.
Box score
Ashland Crestview 4 11 6 7 — 28
Colonel Crawford 17 18 14 8 — 57
Ashland Crestview (13-10): Shots 10-26; 3-pt. shots 3-6 (Shelby Bays 2, Logan Moore); Free throws 5-8; Rebounds 11 (Makenzie Spoerr 3); Turnovers 17. Scoring: Tori Kidney 1 3 5, Shelby Bays 5 2 14, Logan Moore 2 0 5, Bella Grant 2 0 4.
Colonel Crawford (22-2): Shots 22-40; 3-pt. shots 3-9 (Robin Ehmann, Lily Alberty, Lexi Duré); Free throws 10-12; Rebounds 17 (Robin Ehmann 7); Turnovers 10. Scoring: Saylor Holt 4 2 10, Emmi Powers 8 7 23, Robin Ehmann 8 0 17, Lily Alberty 1 0 3, Lexi Dure 1 0 3, Reese Redman 0 1 1.