LIMA – Spencerville didn’t have its best night at the offensive end.
But its defensive pressure and rebounding prowess helped overcome subpar shooting in Monday’s girls’ basketball matchup at Lima Central Catholic.
Despite shooting just 29 percent from the field, Spencerville pressured its way to a 45-24 victory over LCC at Msgr. Edward C. Herr Gymnasium.
With the win, Spencerville keeps its unblemished record intact at 4-0. LCC remains winless at 0-6.
Spencerville only had one player score in double figures.
Jenna Henline led the Bearcats with 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Nelaya Burden scored eight points and pulled down six rebounds. Kaiden Grigsby, a 5-foot-5 guard for Spencerville, added seven points, and came away with eight boards.
For the game, the Bearcats dominated the boards, 46-32.
“Kaiden (Grigsby) is a great offensive rebounder,” Spencerville coach Greg Ekis said. “She does a great job. And a lot of guards don’t really expect that when they’re guarding her and trying to block her out. We’ve tried to emphasize that to our guards – to go out and get rebounds.
“Anytime we can get a win, we’re happy. We’ve played some pretty good defense. … Defensive pressure is something we’re working on and trying to get better at. Each time out, they made some adjustments, we made some adjustments. It was a good win for us.”
Josie Mohler led LCC in scoring with seven points – all coming from the free throw line. On the night, LCC shot a dismal 18 percent from the floor.
Neither team shot well in the first quarter. Spencerville was 3-of-12 from the field, while LCC managed to make 2-of-9 from the floor. Spencerville slipped out with a 9-4 lead by the end of the first quarter.
A 3-pointer by Henline with a minute left to play in the first half, pushed the Spencerville lead to 16-6. Then, moments before the end of the half, Burden scored off a fast break, giving the Bearcats an 18-8 advantage, which held until the halftime break. Burden scored eight points to lead the Bearcats in the first 16 minutes of action.
In the first half, LCC made just 3-of-17 from the floor for 18 percent. Spencerville made 7-of-28 from the field for 25-percent shooting. Spencerville helped force 11 LCC first-half turnovers. For the game, LCC turned it over 20 times, while the Bearcats committed 18 miscues.
“We turned it over too much tonight,” Ekis said. “That’s one thing we’re going to have to clean up as we go forward. But, that’s something we can do as we try to play more under control.”
The Bearcats extended their lead to 35-16 by the end of the third quarter. LCC’s shooting woes continued as the T-Birds were 2-of-14 from the floor. Henline led the way for Spencerville, scoring eight third-quarter points, including two shots behind the 3-point line.
“On any given night, we can have someone (different) lead us,” Ekis said. “I think, pretty much in our four games, we’ve had different (scoring) leaders. Anytime you win, especially here at LCC, it’s a good thing.”
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