Kaitlyn Kimmet, of Ottawa-Glandorf, spots up for a three over Kalida’s Andrea Burgei on Saturday in Ottawa.
Nate Reynolds | The Lima News
OTTAWA —Troy Yant’s Titans improved to 2-0 Saturday afternoon after nearly doubling up Putnam County foe Kalida.
The matchup at Hermiller Gymnasium was a low-scoring defensive battle throughout. Ottawa-Glandorf spread the wealth around with seven different individuals finding the score column in their 45-25 non-conference victory.
Kalida stood toe-to-toe in the first stanza after falling behind early. Ottawa-Glandorf stretched its lead to 10-2 before the Wildcats finished the quarter on a 5-0 run.
The visiting Wildcats continued to battle into the second quarter. With 3:03 to play before the halftime break, Kalida was able to bring the score level at 15 apiece after Madison Unverferth set Avery Unverferth up inside the paint. Kalida took the lead moments later before the Titans set sail and pulled away for good.
“Any time you can beat Kalida it is good. They are a well-coached team, and they are going to come in and be aggressive and play hard every time,” said Ottawa-Glandorf coach Troy Yant. “I thought we were a little more cohesive as a team than we were on opening night. We put together good defensive runs and keep them at bay.”
Ottawa-Glandorf was unphased. Alivia Grothause and Kylie Kimmet connected on a pair of baskets to give the Titans a seven-point advantage leading into the break.
“It took us a while to get started. It’s still early in the season, and we may have some jitters,” Yant said. “We are asking five or six girls to play junior varsity and varsity. The speed difference is real, and to ask them to do both is a lot, but I thought they did well today. We played with good chemistry as a team.”
The Ottawa-Glandorf defense continued to deter the Kalida offense from the scoreboard into the second half. The Wildcats were limited to just 10 points, five in each quarter.
Titan senior Katie Kaufman and junior Kaitlyn Kimmet developed a strong post presence on both sides of the ball. Kaufman led all O-G scorers with 12 points. Grothause helped with nine points.
“I thought our inside players did a great job going off the scouting report,” Yant said. “We gave them a couple of things to try and take away from Kalida that we saw them do well in their first two games, and they answered.”
Kalida (1-2) returns to action on Tuesday evening on the road against Coldwater. Ottawa-Glandorf (2-0) leaps into Western Buckeye League play next Thursday at Kenton.
Ottawa-Glandorf 45, Kalida 25
Kalida 7 8 5 5 – 25
Ottawa-Glandorf 10 12 11 12 – 45
Nate Stidham wrote this for The Lima News.
