Bath’s Anne Oliver shoots against Spencerville’s Clara Goecke during Thursday’s game at Bath.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
BATH TOWNSHIP – Guarding a taller, athletic basketball player can present some challenges.
To guard two of those types of players in the same game can be overwhelming.
Spencerville tried to overcome the huge challenge Bath presented in Thursday’s nonleague girls basketball matchup.
However, Bath’s inside game proved to be too much to handle, as Bath pulled away from Spencerville for a 53-41 victory at Bath.
Anne Oliver (6-foot, senior, forward) led Bath (2-0) and all scorers with 24 points on 11 of 14 shooting from the field. Oliver also dished out five assists and pulled down four rebounds. Teammate Claire Foust (6-1, senior, center) scored 12 points and came away with a game-high 17 rebounds for Bath.
“This group is kind of interesting,” longtime Bath coach Greg Mauk said. “We’ve got two of the better post-type players in the area. But we also have a bunch of kids, to their credit, that can get the ball to those kids. That’s not an easy task a lot of times. … It’s not so easy to throw it in there. I’m really proud of our group on the way we are moving the ball, and the way we are running our offense. This is a fun group.”
Heidi Keller led Spencerville (1-1) with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Keller also made three steals at the defensive end. Eilan Muniz scored 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the floor. Muniz also came away with four rebounds. Clara Goecke had eight points, three steals and four assists for the Bearcats.
Bath, thanks to 11 first-quarter points by Oliver, came away with a 15-10 advantage by the end of the first quarter.
By the halftime break, the Wildkittens led 30-17. After three quarters, Bath led 41-27.
Bath shot the basketball very well. For the game, Bath connected on 52 percent of its field goal attempts. Spencerville shot 35 percent from the field.
“We made five threes tonight; and a lot of it was because of us going to the post players and the defense collapsed,” Mauk said. “Then it (the basketball) comes back out, and we get those good looks. This is a fun group to coach.”
Bath dominated the boards, 34-20.
Spencerville committed nine turnovers, while Bath turned it over 13 times.
“Kudos to the little sophomore girl – the Goecke girl (Clara Goecke, 5-9, guard),” Mauk said. “She’s a very good player. She had a really nice game. She took care of the basketball against our pressure. I think they had single-digit turnovers; and that’s due to her taking care of the basketball.”
Mauk said he likes what he has seen from his team in its first two games of the season.
“We can get out and pressure. We can run. We can do things that are fun to watch. I’m really blessed to be able to have a group of kids like this,” Mauk said.
Mauk praised his team’s defensive effort. He was especially pleased with the defensive effort from Faith Clark (5-3, junior, guard).
“Faith Clark (five points, two steals) is a lock-down defender for us. She got all over (Heidi) Keller. She did a great job of guarding her,” Mauk said. “That’s how she (Clark) has been the past three years. She’s just a great competitor.”
Bath 53, Spencerville 41
Spencerville
Clara Goecke 8, Eilan Muniz 14, Briley Cook 4, Heidi Keller 15. Totals: 16-5-41.
Bath
Faith Clark 5, Gwyn Foust 2, Mara Davis 5, Claire Foust 12, Kelsie Carlson 5, Anne Oliver 24. Totals: 23-2-53.
3-pointers made: Bath – Faith Clark 1, Mara Davis 1, Kelsie Carlson 1, Anne Oliver 2; Spencerville – Clara Goecke 1, Heidi Keller 3
Records: Bath 2-0; Spencerville 1-1
