FORT JENNINGS—The definition of a team victory played itself out in favor of Shawnee on Tuesday night at Fort Jennings High School.
Shawnee had five different girls reach double-digit points as it dominated the Musketeers 61-35 and improved its record to 8-6. Maryssa Herschler led all scorers with 12 points. Behind Herschler came Rhea Magee, Claire Dahlke, Abby Waddle and Isabelle Baird, who each finished with 10 points.
“Isabelle Baird really led us, and everyone else kind of filled in around her,” Shawnee coach Jeff Heistan said. “They all did a great job. I was very pleased with the way everyone played tonight.”
The Indians held a lead from the middle of the first quarter through the rest of the game, but it was a struggle for them to hold that lead early. The main cause of their early struggles came on the defensive boards, where they allowed Fort Jennings to grab 15 offensive rebounds in the first half. Shawnee had just nine total rebounds over the same span.
Those extra opportunities they were allowing may have had dire effects but fortunately for Shawnee, the Musketeers’ shooting prevented themselves from ever making a meaningful run. Fort Jennings’ shooters yielded just a 23 percent field goal percentage for the game, compared to a Shawnee team that shot an outstanding 62 percent.
After a 29-23 halftime lead, the Indians outscored the Musketeers 36-12 in the second half, thanks to better rebounding and more aggressive defensive play.
Herschler and Dahlke were huge factors to the second half improvement. Herschler made her impact in the paint, pulling down some needed defensive rebounds, while Dahlke’s five steals led to fast break points that helped put Fort Jennings away.
“Maryssa really took over the boards,” Heistan said. “In the first half we didn’t rebound really well as a team, but in the second half we were a little more active underneath getting in position.
“Dahlke played with a lot of heart and a lot of effort. I thought our defensive pressure hurt them. And we didn’t press, we just played a contained defense to stop them from getting to the basket.”
Cassie Lindeman scored eight points to lead Fort Jennings, and Gabbi German ended her night with seven points. Gina Stechschulte did her damage for the Musketeers by controlling the offensive boards in the first half. Fort Jennings falls to 6-9.
