Elida’s Lilly Sifrit drives to the basket against Van Buren’s Kami Bowman during Wednesday’s Vicki Mauk Holiday Classic at the Elida Fieldhouse.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
ELIDA — Elida’s girls basketball players learned who they could count on when the going got tough in Wednesday night’s game.
As it turns out, they can count on each other. Six different Bulldogs scored in the fourth quarter, as Elida held off Van Buren’s barrage in the final five minutes of the game for a 57-50 win in the second game of the Vicki Mauk Holiday Classic at the Elida Fieldhouse. Along the way, the Bulldogs picked up their first victory of the year.
“I feel very, just, relieved,” said Elida coach Elisa Jenkins. “I mean, it wasn’t the prettiest game; I will say that. But we found a way to pull out a win. We made some key shots when we needed to make them.”
The Bulldogs (1-7) face Lima Senior (6-6) in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Elida Fieldhouse. Van Buren (4-7) will face New Knoxville in the consolation game at 6 p.m.
Elida had been looking for an identity all season, with last year’s leading scorer Addisyn Freeman, The Lima News Dream Team Girls Player of the Year last year, graduating and now playing significant minutes at the University of Findlay.
During a timeout in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs saw players step into leadership roles. Jenkins said she saw it out of her three seniors.
“I’ve grown more into my own character. I used to be a scared player,” said Alexis Ward, a 5-foot-8 senior who scored 11 points and had a team-high eight rebounds. “I didn’t want to do a lot. I feel myself more relaxed when I play. I’m not scared to do what I have to do.”
They’re all finding their roles, said Lilly Sifrit, who scored a game-high 14 points, including nine in the second half.
“I came out and played a little stronger in the second half,” said Sifrit, a 5-foot-10 freshman. “I saw things opening up down low.”
JoJo Knight added 11 points for the Bulldogs.
Van Buren looked to senior Anna Durliat for a game-high 18 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Brooklyn Wilkin added 12 points. Kami Bowman also had seven rebounds for the Black Knights.
The tournament host Bulldogs now face Lima Senior in the championship game.
“They’ve got good drives, and they’re very feisty defensively,” Jenkins said. “We’ve just got to be very disciplined on our passing, because if they get too scrappy, their press is pretty good. We just have to make sure we’re watching for those traps.”
Elida 57, Van Buren 50
Van Buren 13 9 16 12 — 50
Elida 13 12 15 17 — 57
VAN BUREN
Kami Bowman 3, Kayla Fisher 1, Maddie Hudok 7, Anna Durliat 18, Easton Wymer 7, Brooklyn Wilkin 12, Jordan Patton 2. Totals: 17-13-50.
ELIDA
Leah Ramirez 2, JoJo Knight 11, Jordan Gladen 2, Lilly Sifrit 14, Alexis Ward 11, Olivia Sanders 8, Emma Mitchell 9. Totals: 22-10-57.
3-pointers: VB-Durliat 2, Hudok 1. E-Mitchell 1, Sanders 1, Sifrit 1.
Reach David Trinko at 567-242-0467 or on Twitter @Lima_Trinko.
