GALION — Northmor played its first game of the season Saturday afternoon against a Galion squad that was on its second outing of the season.
The Knights, however, looked like a seasoned basketball team.
Northmor (1-0) used a solid and aggressive defensive effort and timely shooting in the second half to best the Lady Tigers, 55-19.
Galion falls to 0-2 on the season, losing to Delaware Christian on Friday night, 56-37.
The Knights did an excellent job of mixing their man and zone defenses, limiting the Lady Tigers to 9 of 44 shooting on the night and forcing 20 turnovers. Galion never scored more than seven points in a quarter.
“That’s what I stress, it’s our big thing in practice,” Northmor coach Freddie Beachy said of his team’s defensive effort. “We stress help side and mix it up a little bit. We do have some young kids that are playing; I think we’re starting to get it.
“We just have to be a little bit faster,” Beachy added. “But overall, I’m pleased. This was our first game.”
Galion, on the other hand, was never able to get good looks offensively. Audrey Glew led the Lady Tigers with 11 points. but no other player scored more than four.
Galion coach Jim Hart said that the Knights played very well.
“They played really well. They’re a good team,” Hart said of the Knights. “We really just hurt ourselves. We just hurt ourselves a lot tonight. We had a lot of unforced turnovers.”
Northmor, on the other hand, got excellent balance offensively. Guard Claire Tackett led the way with nine points, but nine players reached the scoring column.
“We work on shooting, and I think we did really good passing the ball. Overall, I was pleased with the way we played,” Beachy said.
“We stress one more pass, someone is always open,” Beachy added. “Especially if you are double-teamed, get it out. Get your feet set, shooters get comfortable, and we’ll make a lot of baskets.”
The Knights grabbed a 12-2 lead after one period and led as much as 15-2 on a Shelby Cooper bucket before Glew scored for the Tigers. At the break, Northmor held a 23-6 lead.
The Knights scored the first 12 points of the third period before Glew broke the streak with a basket. From there, the Knights coasted to the win.
“Give credit to Northmor,” Hart said. “They played really well. They played hard and we hurt ourselves a lot with some of the turnovers we had.
“I’m not making excuses, but we had some kids that were banged up and we’re sick, and I think that may have played a little part of it,” Hart added. “Our girls played hard but still have a lot to learn.”
Box score
Northmor 12 11 13 19 — 55
Galion 2 4 6 7 — 19
Northmor (1-0): Shots 23-54; 3-pt. shots 3 (Shelby Cooper, Riley Cooper, Kallie Wright); Free throws 5-10; Rebounds 38; Turnovers 12. Scoring: Shelby Cooper 3 1 8, Maizy Brinkman 2 0 4, Reagan Zeger 4 0 8, Claire Tackett 4 1 9, Ryann Brinkman 3 1 7, Lori See 2 2 6, Reagan See 2 1 5, Riley Cooper 2 1 5, Kallie Wright 1 0 3.
Galion (0-1): Shots 9-44; 3-pt. shots 1 (Audrey Glew); Free throws 4-6; Rebounds 30; Turnovers 20. Scoring: Cameron Eckert 0 2 2, Audrey Glew 4 2 11, Jayda Miniard 2 0 4, Marissa Scott 1 0 2.
JV: Northmor 44-7.