FREMONT (Crawford County Now) — Margaretta head coach Ray Neill referenced a cliché that defense travels following his team’s 42-24 Division VI district championship here Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately, Wynford was on the receiving end of that tough D, held to zero points in the second quarter as the Lady Bears advanced to the Bluffton regional next Thursday night.

“We knew they have an all-Ohio player (Cassidy Lane), and we had to contend with her. But it’s not just about their offense. They’re a great defensive team,” said head coach Amy Taylor-Sheldon.

Lane scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Kenadie Saylor led Margaretta with 13 points, 4 rebounds and a steal.

“We didn’t have enough firepower and probably missed some easier shots early. We were forced to take some other shots.

“We did as good as any team in the post-season to guard and defend them. I’m super proud of our effort,” she said.

Wynford ends its season at 19-6.

Margaretta (24-1) faces Ottawa Hills, a 44-41 winner over New London. This marks their fifth straight district title.

“We were well prepared but limited on offense because of their great defense. We didn’t take advantage of some mismatches. Their interior defense was great on the ball.”

Caroline Sheldon had 15 points to lead the Lady Royals.

After a Lane put-back, Margaretta led 11-8 after one quarter. What followed was 8 minutes of scoreless play for Wynford.

“It’s really difficult to prepare for because we don’t have people on the perimeter who are 5-10 that guard us in the N10. When you have that, you have to try a couple different things.

“It’s tough to simulate. We couldn’t get to the foul line in the second quarter,” Taylor-Sheldon said.

The Lady Royals shot 7-of-39 from the field and just 3-of-19 from beyond the arc. Rebounding (27 to 30) and turnovers (5 to 7) were nearly equal.

“We tried to get off on two feet and try to draw a foul, but we missed shots. We lived and we died by the 3 all year. We’re not going to necessarily change our identity,” Taylor-Sheldon said.

Wynford managed 10 points in the third period, with Caroline Sheldon scoring 6 and Maggie Ridge 4.

A 3-pointer by Saylor gave the Bears a 21-11 lead with 4:40 left in the third, but Sheldon cut it to 24-17 at the 2:11 mark.

Lane and Saylor went to work to open the margin before Ellyse Schaefer scored 9, including a pair of wing 3s, to pull away.

“It was a Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots kind of game early on the defensive end,” Neill said alluding to the physical nature of the game.

“We were getting after it, and our girls worked their butts off to execute the game plan defensively. Wynford was very physical, very tenacious from the defensive end. It took us a while to figure some things out.”

Neill said Wynford tried several defensive approaches to neutralize Schaefer.

“We’ve been preaching that defense is gonna travel. We have some people that love to do it, love hearing it,” he said. “People fail to see how good Cassidy is on the defensive end, both on the ball and off the ball.”

Margaretta, ranked No. 1 in the state by MaxPreps, won its 15th straight game. The Bears have outscored three tournament opponents, 176-67.

Two seniors — Rylee Robinson and Maradath Engler — played their final game for the Lady Royals.

“Rylee last year didn’t play due to an injury from softball. But she wanted to come out and play with her friends, knowing that before Brooke (Frombaugh) got hurt that her minutes would be limited,” Taylor-Sheldon said.

“That’s pretty rare where a kid comes out like that. I just give her a ton of credit. She’s a great athlete and a joy to coach and always gives her best effort.”

Robinson grabbed 6 rebounds, and Engler added 3 points, 3 rebounds and an assist.

“Maradath is a four-year starter and one of the joys of my career to coach. Just a tough, tough kid, physically and mentally.

“Throughout her career has made some game-winning free throws and hit some big baskets. A great floor leader and a lockdown defender.”

Box score

Wynford          8          0       10        6 — 24

Margaretta    11         6       10      15 — 42

Wynford (19-6): Shots 7-39; 3-pt. shots 3-19 (Caroline Sheldon 2, Maradath Engler); Free throws 7-10; Rebounds 27 (Rylee Robinson 6, Caroline Sheldon 5); Turnovers 5. Scoring: Caroline Sheldon 4 5 15, Maradath Engler 1 0 3, Maggie Ridge 2 2 6.

Margaretta (24-1): Shots 14-36; 3-pt. shots 7-13 (Renna Keller 2, Ellyse Schaefer 2, Kenadie Saylor 2, Lillian Belak); Free throws 7-11; Rebounds 30 (Cassidy Lane 10); Turnovers 7. Scoring: Lillian Belak 1 1 4, Renna Keller 2 0 6, Cassidy Lane 4 2 10, Ellyse Schaefer 3 1 9, Kenadie Saylor 4 3 13.