Isabelle Furley of Ottoville shoots against Claire Foust of Bath during Tuesday’s game at L.W. Heckman Gymnasium.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
OTTOVILLE — Bath has size, and Ottoville has shooters.
The Wildkittens, who start three players that stand 5’10” or taller, dominated the paint early on, but Ottoville’s shooters got hot in the second quarter, hit a total of 11 threes on the night, and pulled away for a 49-38 win.
“If you shoot the ball like they (Ottoville) did tonight, that’s a hard thing to overcome,” said Bath coach Greg Mauk. “They were 48% from the 3-point line on 23 attempts. Some of the shots were contested, but a lot of them weren’t and that’s on us.”
Carly and Erica Thorbahn combined for four triples in the second quarter, turning what was once a 15-9 deficit into a 21-19 lead at the half.
The second half was no different.
Carly Thorbahn, Isabelle Furley, and Brooklyn Koester all hit shots from deep.
Ottoville went on a 14-0 run that spanned over seven minutes starting at the end of the third quarter and lasting through the middle of the fourth quarter.
Carly Thorbahn and Isabelle Furley combined for four triples on the scoring spree.
Thorbahn hit five threes on the evening and Furley added three — all of them in the second half.
The two 5’8” wings were Ottoville’s top scorers with 17 points and nine points respectively.
“She’s a great shooter just like the Thorbahns and Koester,” said Ottoville coach Vaughn Horstman said of Furley. “They’re all good shooters. It’s just a matter of getting our feet set, being comfortable, and letting it fly.”
Brooklyn Koester also finished the game with nine, adding one triple to the home team’s total.
Ottoville’s lights-out shooting masked a dominant first-quarter performance from Bath’s Claire Foust.
Foust scored 11 points in the opening frame, four times in the paint and once from beyond the arc.
But once the second quarter hit, Foust’s production came to a screeching halt. She shot one of three from the floor the rest of the way and finished the game with 13 points.
“We put a little more ball pressure on the outside. That got her out of her post spots,” Horstman said of Foust. “The girls started playing harder on defense. We were leaving other people open just to help out on her (Foust). She was a load on us. We threw a triple team at her at one point.”
Jessa Burgei, a 5’5” guard who normally frustrates opponents on the perimeter, played a part in slowing down Bath’s early dominance on the blocks.
“Her quickness really helped us down low on their post players,” said Horstman. “She’s very intelligent and she’s a great soccer player. I think her playing soccer for four years helps her size up other players and get to her spots.”
Bath also had trouble spacing the court. After the first quarter, the Wildkittens hit just three of their three-point attempts, allowing Ottoville to drop their zone defense.
“We just didn’t attack the zone very well and we didn’t shoot the ball well,” said Mauk. “That’s what it boils down to. We had a lot of opportunities on the perimeter and we didn’t shoot a good percentage on them.”
Ottoville hit 18 of 40 shots from the field, good for 45% compared to 42% from Bath (15 of 35). Bath won the battle on the boards 14-12, but committed 14 turnovers, while Ottoville lost the ball 12 times.
Score by quarter
Bath 15 4 12 7 – 38
Ottoville 9 12 18 10 – 49
Bath
Claire Foust 13, Kelsie Carlson 11, Izzy McDermott 6, Anne Oliver 4, Marlie Mason 2, Allyson Harnishferger 2, Total: 15-2-38.
Ottoville
Carly Thorbahn 17, Isabelle Furley 9, Brooklyn Koester 9, Erica Thorbahn 6, Jessa Burgei 6, Paige Turnwald 2, Total: 18-2-49.
3PT: Bath — Izzy McDermott 2, Kelsie Carlson 1, Claire Foust 1. Ottoville — Carly Thorbahn 5, Isabelle Furley 3, Erica Thorbahn 2, Brooklyn Koester 1.
Records Bath 8-3, 3-0 WBL, Ottoville 10-3, 2-1 PCL.
Reach Chris Howell at 567-242-0468 or on Twitter @Lima_Howell.
