CRESTLINE — It was a typical first game for the Crestline and Galion girls’ basketball teams. Neither team shot it well and the team that played better defense won the game.

Crestline was better defensively.

The Bulldogs held the Tigers to just seven for 40 shooting and forced 29 turnovers in pulling away in the second half to down Galion, 40-27, Friday night.

While the Bulldogs were pretty sloppy as well, hitting 16 of 49 shots and committing 19 turnovers, they were good defensively.

“You never know about first games, how they are going to go,” Crestline coach Kyle Strauch said. “I think they are usually sloppy. I think both teams had things they wish they could take back.

“We had some looks shooting the ball, we just couldn’t get the ball to go in,” Strauch added. “We had a few just roll in and out. But we told the girls that going in. It’s all about effort in the first game and the rest will take care of itself.”

Galion coach Shani Rush said that she was pleased with her team’s effort.

“This was a typical first game, a little ugly, a little sloppy but I thought it was a hard-fought game,” Rush said.

“I was really proud of our hard work. We just have to find a scorer.”

Crestline held the Tigers to just eight first-half points and never trailed in the game.

“I thought we played well defensively,” Strauch said. “We were tired. We have 12 girls and seven play jayvee, so we only have five varsity girls. The rest can play one quarter, maybe two. We’ve been stressing mental toughness with them. We have to grind a little bit and, overall, I thought that they did a pretty nice job.”

Galion managed to cut the Crestline lead to 22-19 with 1:37 left in the third period on a Heaven Phelps basket, but the Bulldogs got three points from Lauryn Tadda and baskets from Hannah Delong and Jocelynn Morgan to take a 29-20 lead into the final period.

Tadda scored six of her game-high 17 points in the final frame to hold off the Tigers.

“We cut the lead to six and I thought we were going to build on that, but they hit some big shots there and made the lead a little bit bigger,” Rush said. “We need to be more disciplined in running our offense, be patient and take care of the basketball.”

Delong backed up Tadda with nine points for the Bulldogs and Kennedy Moore added five.

“We have to know the situation and slow down,” Strauch said. “Too many times, when we could have slowed the ball down and got a look, we rushed into something and, when you have a short bench, that’s a negative.”

Phelps led Galion with eight points and Teanna Greter added seven.

Crestline also won the jayvee game, 26-4. Dalani Kiser led the Bulldogs with 13 points and Morgan added 10. Camile Nunez scored two for Galion.

Box score

Galion       2    6     12    7 — 27

Crestline   9    5     15   11 — 40

Galion (0-1): FG 7-40, FT 12-22; 3pt 1 (Morgan Kimble); 40 rebounds; 29 turnovers. Scoring: Heaven Phelps 2 4 8, Teanna Greter 2 3 7, Natalie Perkins 1 4 6, Kylie McKee 0 1 1, Morgan Kimble 2 0 5.

Crestline (1-0): FG 16-49, FT 5-11; 3pt. 3 (Hannah Delong, Ivy Stewart, Kennedy Moore); 38 rebounds; 19 turnovers. Scoring: Hannah Delong 2 4 9, Ivy Stewart 1 0 3, Kennedy Moore 2 0 5, Lauryn Tadda 8 1 17, Daija Sewell 2 0 4, Jocelynn Morgan 1 0 2.

JV: Crestline 26-4.