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- Fort Frye’s Ella Dowler (32) seems to cross as Waterford’s Gracie Hartline (4) and Brynnlee Pottmeyer (12) defend throughout Wednesday’s recreation on the Harry Cooper Annex. (Photo by Mike Morrison)
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- Waterford’s Ava Hurley, left, handles the ball as Fort Frye’s Aubrie Lang (24) defends throughout Wednesday’s recreation on the Harry Cooper Annex. (Photo by Mike Morrison)
Fort Frye’s Ella Dowler (32) seems to cross as Waterford’s Gracie Hartline (4) and Brynnlee Pottmeyer (12) defend throughout Wednesday’s recreation on the Harry Cooper Annex. (Photo by Mike Morrison)
WATERFORD – For a few years the Fort Frye Cadet and Waterford Wildcat women workforce have tried to schedule each other in the direction of the very finish of the season to make use of the sport as sort of a preview for what to anticipate with OHSAA event play proper across the nook.
The two renewed that rivalry Wednesday night time on the Cooper Annex and the Cadets rolled to a 49-28 win to close out the regular season for each squads.
Cadet junior Ella Dowler and freshman Raelann Morgenstern mixed for 30 factors as Fort Frye took benefit of some sloppy play on behalf of the Wildcats to close out the season with an 18-4 file.
Waterford (12-10) turned the ball over 25 occasions within the recreation to offer an already potent Fort Frye offense too many additional alternatives to place the ball within the bucket.
“I felt like our defensive intensity was very good tonight and we were able to create quite a few turnovers,” stated first-year Cadet head coach Cathy Borich. “We were able to get out and push the ball up the court and we feel like when we are able to do that we play better.”
Waterford’s Ava Hurley, left, handles the ball as Fort Frye’s Aubrie Lang (24) defends throughout Wednesday’s recreation on the Harry Cooper Annex. (Photo by Mike Morrison)
Waterford trailed by only a level late within the opening quarter earlier than the Cadets scored 13 unanswered factors to place a long way between them and the Cats.
Freshman Jantzyn Huck acquired the run began for FF with a drive and end with the left hand earlier than Morgenstern made a free throw.
Dowler closed out the opening quarter with a bang as she beat the buzzer with a three-pointer that left her arms a couple of toes behind the half-court line and located nothing however the backside of the online.
Fort Frye continued their run into the second quarter as junior Khoen Courson scored back-to-back baskets earlier than Dowler knocked down one other triple to finish the run and provides the Cadets a 20-6 benefit.
A 3-pointer from Waterford freshman Zoey Smithberger lastly introduced an finish to the Cadet run however they nonetheless went on to take a 25-11 lead into the break.
Fort Frye opened the second half with a two-pointer by Elle Casto earlier than the Wildcats made a little bit of a run by scoring eight consecutive factors to chop the result in eight.
Sophomore Brynlee Pottmeyer acquired the run began by pulling down a three-pointer earlier than junior Ava Hurley linked on a short-jumper.
On the following Wildcat possession Pottmeyer acquired three extra the quaint means because the lead shrunk to 27-19.
The Wildcats couldn’t proceed the momentum the remainder of the quarter although as they turned the ball over 4 extra occasions because the Cadets rebuilt their lead again to 14 by the tip of the interval.
Dowler’s triple to open the ultimate quarter made it a 17-point Fort Frye lead and just about put issues out of attain for the Cadets.
Dowler led all scorers with 16 factors together with 4 from behind the arc whereas Morgenstern chipped in with 14 factors.
Huck added seven because the Cadet freshmen accounted for 21 of the Cadets 49 factors.
“It’s really nice going into tournaments now that we have some younger players that can step in there and be productive,” stated Borich. “That allows us to be able to go out teams really hard for the entire 32 minutes.”
Waterford was led by Pottmeyer with 12 factors whereas their freshman class of Hayes and Smithberger added 5 factors apiece.
Wildcat head coach Jerry Close positioned the defeat firmly on his workforce’s incapacity to maintain the basketball.
“We came out and played with some good intensity early on but then we started making mistakes and dug ourselves a hole,” stated Close. “We just turned the ball over too much tonight and when you let a team like that get on a run it’s hard to come back and beat them.”
Both groups will now set their sights on the event, which begins for the top-seeded Cadets this Saturday once they host Sugarcreek Garaway.
“I feel really good about where we are at but our district is really, really tough,” stated Borich. “It’s going to be a challenge and I think we can do it but we are definitely going to have to bring our A-game every single night.”
After a tricky begin to the season, the defending state champion Wildcats have improved dramatically from the beginning of the season and even picked up a share of the Tri-Valley Conference crown alongside the best way with Eastern.
“We don’t have much time to worry about things because we’ve got a lot of things we need to fix,” stated Close, whose workforce will open event play on Tuesday towards Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington at Southeastern High School. (8 p.m.) “We’ve had 22 practice games and now it’s time for the real stuff and we will see if we’re ready for it.”