Richard Parrish | The Lima News
ELIDA – Crestview girls basketball head coach Mark Gregory realized Toledo Christian was going to pose some tough challenges for his team in Wednesday’s Division IV regional semifinal game at the Elida Fieldhouse.
The biggest task for Crestview was how to slow down junior standout Kendall Braden, a highly-touted college recruit for the Eagles.
Wednesday, Braden poured in 21 points on 9 of 10 shooting from the field to help lead Toledo Christian to a 50-36 victory over Crestview in the first of two girls Division IV regional semifinals at the Elida Fieldhouse.
Toledo Christian (21-4) will play Columbus Grove (18-8) Saturday for a regional title at the Elida Fieldhouse with tip-off set for 1 p.m.
In Wednesday’s nightcap at the Elida Fieldhouse, Columbus Grove defeated Hopewell-Loudon 40-32.
Crestview ends its season, 21-5.
“She (Braden) does a great job. … She’s a great player,” Gregory said. “When somebody is 6 for 6 (shooting) from the field in the first half, you’re trying to figure out what you can do to slow her down. I think we could have done a better job on her, but she’s a really nice player. We tried different things on her and mixed it up. She found opportunities and took advantage of them.”
Braden not only led Toledo Christian in scoring, but also had five steals. Teammate Macey Wensink added 11 points, including three 3-pointers for the Eagles.
“Sometimes you got to give credit where credit is due,” Gregory said. “Toledo Christian did a great job tonight, defensively. They also hit a lot of shots. Sometimes, you just have to tip your cap. … Credit to them. Our girls played hard all year long for me and did all the things we’ve asked of them. It’s really hard to come up short. … But tonight, we came up short.”
Cali Gregory led Crestview with 14 points, six rebounds and three steals. Ellie Kline had 13 points and five steals for the Knights.
Crestview led just once for the entire game, 11-10, which proved to be very short-lived. By the first stop, the Eagles held a 17-13 advantage.
Gregory kept the Knights close, scoring five first-quarter points.
Braden led the Eagles with eight first-quarter markers.
Crestview was 5 of 13 from the field, while Toledo Christian connected on 6 of 13 of its field goal attempts.
Crestview kept it close for most of the second quarter.
Toledo Christian led 27-20 by the halftime break.
Braden led Toledo Christian and all scorers with 14 first-half points, on 6 of 6 shooting from the floor. Braden also made four steals at the defensive end.
Gregory and Kline each had eight first-half points for the Knights.
Toledo Christian was 10 of 21 from the floor for 48-percent shooting in the first half. Crestview was 7 of 18 from the floor for 39 percent.
Crestview cut it to four points in the third, 30-26, on an inside basket by Gregory.
Toledo Christian responded.
The Eagles closed out the third on a 7-2 spurt to claim a 37-28 lead by the third stop.
For the game, Crestview shot 33 percent from the field. Toledo Christian connected on 46 percent of its shots.
Crestview committed 16 turnovers on the night, while Toledo Christian turned it over 15 times.
“They (Toledo Christian) did a nice job. They pressured us on every situation,” Gregory said. “They rebounded the ball really well. They were so active, defensively. They made Cali (Gregory) take some very tough shots. It was tough. And Cali was working really hard on both ends of the floor.”
Toledo Christian held a slight 26-25 edge on the boards.
Columbus Grove 40, Hopewell-Loudon 32
Columbus Grove is returning to the regional finals, after its hard-fought 8-point win over Hopewell-Loudon Wednesday night.
Last season, the Bulldogs were eliminated in the regional semifinals.
Wednesday night, Grove led 7-6 at the end of the first quarter. Hopewell-Loudon slipped out with a 14-9 lead by the halftime break.
In the first half, Columbus Grove was just 5 of 22 from the floor for 23-percent shooting. Hopewell-Loudon was 5 of 20 for 25 percent.
Columbus Grove started to find its range in the third stanza. By the end of the third quarter, the Bulldogs led 27-20.
Columbus Grove held off the Chieftains down the stretch for the hard-fought win.
For the game, Columbus Grove shot 36 percent from the floor. Hopewell-Loudon shot 28 percent.
Lauryn Auchmuty led Columbus Grove with 15 points, 18 rebounds and four assists. Sage Clement had eight points and seven boards. Jaylen Sautter had seven points and seven boards for the Bulldogs.
Ashley Daniel led Hopewell-Loudon with nine points.
“They (Hopewell-Loudon) did a nice job with their zone with extending it and contesting shots,” Columbus Grove head coach Brian Schroeder said. “I thought we were getting some good looks in the first half. I thought we did a good job of pushing, early. … We missed some layups. We just have to make sure we finish better.”
