Erica Thorbahn (4) of Ottoville drives into the lane against Emma Hooper (12) of Liberty-Benton at L.W. Heckman Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
Chris Howell | The Lima News
OTTOVILLE — On Tuesday evening at LW Heckman Gymnasium, Ottoville and Liberty-Benton tuned up for their respective tournament runs with the postseason just one week away.
Ottoville (17-5) looked as if it were going to escape with a win in regulation, but Corra Dehart had other plans. Liberty-Benton’s freshman forward drained a three at the buzzer to tie the score at 31, sending the game to overtime.
But just one extra period wouldn’t be enough.
The Eagles survived the marathon contest with the help of Sophia Barbara, who nailed a three and went 4 of 6 from the line in double overtime to lift Liberty-Benton (16-5) to a 46-43 victory.
“Their size wore us down. We gave up way too many offensive rebounds and we just weren’t strong enough to keep them from getting those second chances,” Ottoville coach Vaughn Horstman said. “We had our chances from the field and at the line, but their length bothered us. Credit to our defense. That was the best defense I’ve seen us play in a while. We played hard in a tournament-like atmosphere.”
Both teams had their share of dramatics in the contest. Lauren Gerken, who scored 19 points, capped off a 7-0 Eagles run with a shot just before the first-quarter buzzer, giving her team a 9-5 advantage.
Erica Thorbahn, who went for 12 points on the night, matched Gerken’s buzzer-beater with a half-court shot just as time expired in the second quarter. Her three cut the deficit to 16-15 at the break.
Ottoville set the tone in the second half as the Thorbahn twins accounted for 10 of 14 third-quarter points.
In the fourth quarter, Ottoville ripped off a 7-0 run and took a 29-21 lead on a runner from Paige Turnwald with 2:01 to go.
However, the Big Green were only able to add a pair of free throws the rest of the way, and Liberty Benton countered with a pair of triples, one from Sophia Barbara and the other off the hands of Corra Dehart.
“Our length allows us to play off people and still affect shots,” Liberty-Benton coach Chad Lieb said. “We’re effective in our man and our zone. We used it late and it confused them, just as their zone did to us. There were 89 points scored in a two-overtime game, so both defenses played extremely well.”
Brooklyn Koester put Ottoville on the board first in overtime with a shot from inside the arc. Gerken answered right back for the Eagles by tying the game back up with 2:20 to go.
Carly Thorbahn hit a runner on the next trip down the court to regain the advantage for Ottoville, but Gerken had yet another response with a pair of free throws, completing the first OT with the game tied at 35.
Carly Thorbahn hit a three from the corner just 20 seconds into the second overtime.
However, the Eagles continued to battle back. Barbara gave Liberty-Benton its first lead since the third quarter on a pair of free throws with just over a minute left and they never gave it back.
Ottoville had a chance to tie the game again in the final seconds, but a last-second three-point attempt fell off the mark.
Dave Boninsegna wrote this story for LimaScores.com
