NEW WASHINGTON — Buckeye Central didn’t shoot the ball particularly well against Bucyrus on Saturday.

But what the Buckettes lacked in accuracy, they made up in volume.

Buckeye Central shot just 20 percent in the first half, but the Buckettes’ 30 attempts were double the 15 the Lady Red took and they also made just 20 percent.

With that advantage, Buckeye Central was able to build a 21-9 halftime lead, then ran away in the second half for a 53-21 Northern 10 Athletic Conference win.

“There’s going to be nights like tonight where we don’t shoot well,” Buckeye Central coach Tyler Shade said. “You have to come out, you have to defend, you have to rebound the basketball. If we can get double the shots up, that’s a good recipe for success. Whether we’re making them or not, something is bound to fall eventually.”

To the coach’s point, rebounding was a major factor in the differential. The Buckettes held a 41-29 advantage on the glass, including 17-4 in offensive rebounds. Twelve of those offensive boards came in the first half.

“That’s been the bugaboo all season so far,” Bucyrus coach Brian Seybert said. “We give up 20 or more offensive rebounds to the other team each game. It’s hard to compete that way.”

Bucyrus (0-5, 0-2 N10) was able to hang around early. The Lady Red tied the game at 6-6 on a basket by Ni’Cia Floyd at 2:27 of the first period. But Buckeye Central (3-1, 2) scored the last seven points of the quarter to lead 13-6 at period’s end.

The Buckettes never looked back. Despite 2 for 10 shooting in the second quarter, they were able to stretch the lead to 12 by intermission. The defense forced six first-half Bucyrus turnovers and 16 for the game even though Shade took off the press after the first quarter.

“Our mindset is we’ve got to defend in the halfcourt,” Shade said. “As the season goes on, we’ll extend that a little bit.”

“We’re doing a lot of turnovers and we’re not creating them on the defensive side right now to counterbalance that,” Seybert said. “We’re slow and unsure of what we’re seeing and reading.”

With the Lady Red concentrating on BC leading scorer Alyese Siefert, Jenna Cianflone picked up the slack. The 5-foot-3 guard registered 10 of her game-high 17 points in the first half, slipping through to the basket and adding three 3-points shots.

The offense stabilized and gained steam for the Buckettes in the second half, using a 15-12 edge in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 33-18, then had a huge 20-point fourth quarter when freshman Joslynn Hensley and Harper Kantzer each scored six points.

“We told them the second half was night and day from the first half,” Shade said. “Transition opportunities, sharing the basketball, making the extra pass — plays that winning basketball teams do.”

Bucyrus finished hitting just six of 30 shots and nine of 20 free throws. Seybert noted that the shooting woes are not due to lack of repetition.

“Every single day since the season started, we shoot free throws at the beginning of practice,” Seybert said. “The girls are at 400-500 free throws on the season in practice.”

Shade credited his defense with helping to hold the Lady Red in check.

“Knowledge of the scouting report, knowing personnel, and doing what we’ve harped on the past couple of days,” Shade said.

Floyd led Bucyrus with eight points, though she sat the entire second quarter with foul trouble. Savannah Clark added six points and seven rebounds.

“When we’re shooting percentage wise under 20 or more, we’re not making enough baskets,” Seybert said. “It’s hard to stay in a game. The only thing we can do is keep fighting, try to get a defensive rebound, and get another possession on offense.”

Siefert seconded Cianflone’s 17 points with 11 for the Buckettes and Hensley finished with 10. Megan Siefert grabbed seven boards.

“We acknowledge the fact that we’re a young team,” Shade said. “We feel we’ve got to get a good base of the fundamentals and we’ll go from there.”

For Seybert, patience with his young team is essential.

“I can’t complain about the effort — maybe the first half today,” Seybert said. “Most games throughout they’re competing to the end.

“We’re going to keep battling. The girls are going to keep fighting,” he added. We’re going to keep showing up to each game. We’re going to keep competing.”

Buckeye Central won the two-quarter junior varsity game, 20-17. Ella Daniel had 13 points for the Buckettes. Ni’Cia Floyd finished with 10 for Bucyrus and Makinsey Weiler added five.

Box score

Bucyrus                      6        3        9        3 — 21

Buckeye Central      13        8      12     20 — 53

Bucyrus (0-5, 0-2 N10): Shots 6-30; 3-pt. shots 0-7; Free throws 9-20; Rebounds 29 (Savannah Clark 7); Turnovers 16. Scoring: Ni’Cia Floyd 4 0 8, Macie Hubble 0 1 1, Karlee Shull 0 2 2, Maci Messerschmidt 0 1 1, Tori Stang 1 1 3, Savannah Clark 1 4 6.

Buckeye Central (3-1, 2-0): Shots 18-63; 3-pt. shots 6-25 (Jenna Cianflone 3, Myli Estridge 2, Harper Kantzer); Free throws 11-13; Rebounds 43 (Megan Siefert 7); Turnovers 6. Scoring: Jenna Cianflone 7 0 17, Alyese Siefert 1 9 11, Myli Estridge 2 0 6, Joslynn Hensley 5 0 10, Harper Kantzer 2 2 7, Macy Deppen 1 0 2.

JV: Buckeye Central 20-17 (2 quarters).