BATH TOWNSHIP — It was a second chance. A chance to rewrite a story and make it come out with a happy ending this time.
Bath’s 46-43 win over Ottoville in girls basketball on Friday night was the second time this year it had built a sizable halftime lead on a state-ranked team.
But this time, unlike a December game when Ottawa-Glandorf overcame a 13-point halftime lead to escape with a 49-45 win, Bath held on.
Bath (8-3) got 15 points and seven rebounds from Bailey Dackin and 15 points, including three 3-pointers, from Heidi Craddock. Ottoville, ranked No. 5 in Division IV, was led by Kasey Knippen with 16 points and Bridget Landin’s 12 points.
The first half was a defensive masterpiece for Bath when it held Ottoville to eight points on the way to a 17-8 halftime lead. And only four of those points came from Ottoville’s halfcourt offense.
Bath still was ahead by nine points, 37-29, with three minutes left in the game. But, led by Knippen, who scored all 16 of her points in the fourth quarter, Ottoville (9-3) climbed back into the game.
Its final possession ended with Landin hitting a 3-pointer just after the final buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime.
“I thought we played really good defense in our half-court zone as well as our full-court press. I thought we really had them on their heels and we kept them on their heels until they found No. 23 (Knippen) and put her in the game,” Bath coach Greg Mauk said.
Dackin said, “We had amazing defense the first half, we got the rebounds, we didn’t let them get second looks and we had a good press, too.”
Ottoville, ranked No. 5 in Division IV, was coming off a 55-46 loss to Columbus Grove, ranked No. 8 in Division III, on Saturday. But coach Dave Kleman said that was “no excuse.”
“Maybe there was a little bit of a hangover from Columbus Grove but that was no excuse. You can’t let something like that affect you,” he said. “Offensively, (in the first half) we couldn’t throw it in the ocean standing on the beach.”
Knippen’s fourth-quarter shooting could be something good Ottoville took out of the game.
“She has shown signs. She is a very talented player. We’ve been trying to work her into the mix. I’m hoping this is a game that will give her the confidence she can play on the varsity level as a sophomore,” Kleman said.
Knippen’s third 3-pointer of the fourth quarter brought Ottoville within one point, at 44-43, with 25 seconds left to play. But Dackin, who was 11 of 12 on free throws in the game, hit two of them with 22 seconds left on the clock for the final margin.
Craddock said, “I was getting a little nervous. But we just settled down and everything worked out for us. Last year we lost to them by quite a lot. This year was a little revenge to show them that, ‘Hey, we’re ready to play.’ ”
Ready to play and ready to finish a big win.
“We’ve had our ups and downs this year, we’ve lost some tough games. To win one like that feels good,” Mauk said.
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