Delphos Jefferson’s Lyv Lindeman drives to the basket against Columbus Grove’s Kendal Palte during Thursday’s game at Delphos Jefferson High School.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
DELPHOS – Delphos Jefferson senior standout Lyv Lindeman would not be denied.
At the end of the third quarter of Thursday’s key Northwest Conference girls basketball game against visiting Columbus Grove, Delphos Jefferson was clinging to a 37-36 lead over the Bulldogs.
In the final eight minutes of the game, Lindeman took over.
Lindeman, a Tiffin University commit, scored 16 of her game-high 35 points, in the fourth quarter, to help lead Delphos Jefferson to a hard-fought 55-47 victory over Columbus Grove.
With the thrilling win, Delphos Jefferson (19-3, 7-1 NWC) earned a share of the Northwest Conference title with Crestview. Crestview (20-2, 7-1 NWC) defeated Lincolnview 62-33 on Thursday to notch its piece of the conference crown.
With Thursday’s loss, Columbus Grove slipped to 16-5 overall and 6-2 in the NWC.
Lindeman was 14 of 18 shooting from the free-throw line on Thursday. She also came away with five rebounds, four assists, four steals, and two blocks.
“My parents always tell me, ‘You can’t cheat it’,” Lindeman said with a grin. “And I know I didn’t cheat it. I put in the extra time. When the game is on the line, I’m ready to take over. I’m pretty confident of that, and I have amazing teammates that have my back.”
Along with Lindeman’s stellar performance on Thursday, Lauren French (6-foot-3, senior) had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Madison Burris added nine points, including two 3-pointers for the Wildcats.
Nicole Nesby (6-foot, sophomore) led Columbus Grove with 18 points and 10 boards. Lauryn Auchmuty scored 17 points, including four 3-pointers. Auchmuty also came away with eight rebounds from a guard spot. Kendal Palte added nine points, five rebounds, and four steals for the Bulldogs.
Delphos Jefferson coach Denise Lindeman, Lyv Lindeman’s mother, admitted that she wasn’t sure at the beginning of the season if her team could win its fourth straight conference title.
“It’s unbelievable. If you would have told me at the beginning of the year that we’re going to have a four-peat, I wasn’t sure,” Lindeman said. “But the dedication, the hard work, and the drive they have is unbelievable.
“I told them today that hard work, high standards, and discipline equals a championship mindset. And it showed today.”
Lindeman was pleased with her team’s defensive performance, especially Kyrstin Moore’s defensive effort against Auchmuty, who is Columbus Grove’s leading scorer.
“Kyrstin Moore (1 point, 2 rebounds, 2 steals) played the game of her life,” Lindeman said. “I would say that Kyrstin doesn’t get all the stats, but Kyrstin played the game of her life tonight. She gave everything for this team tonight.
“Auchmuty is a great player. I’m not taking anything away from her. She’s a great player, but she (Moore) made Lauryn work for every possession she had tonight.”
The score was knotted 9-9 by the end of the first quarter. By the halftime break, Delphos Jefferson led 25-16. Delphos Jefferson led by just one point by the third stop.
In the final eight minutes, Lindeman took the game over. She was 4 of 4 shooting from the floor and 8 of 10 from the charity stripe.
For the game, Columbus Grove shot 35.8 percent from the field. Delphos Jefferson connected on 35.4 percent of its field-goal attempts.
Columbus Grove committed 13 turnovers, compared to Delphos Jefferson’s 11 miscues on the night.
Columbus Grove held a slight 34-31 edge on the boards.
“Lyv got her attack going,” Coach Lindeman said. “She is just so quick off the dribble. Lyv’s a gamer. As a mom, as a coach – I’m so proud of that kid.”
Coach Lindeman said her team will enjoy Thursday’s big win. However, with the postseason starting next week, she said the celebration will be short-lived.
“Now, we have the ‘second season’ (tournament) starting on Monday. So, we’ll enjoy tonight,” Lindeman said with a smile.
Delphos Jefferson 55, Columbus Grove 47
Score by quarters
Columbus Grove 9 7 20 11- 47
Delphos Jefferson 9 16 12 18 – 55
COLUMBUS GROVE
Lauryn Auchmuty 17, Allison Thompson 3, Kendal Palte 9, Nicole Nesby 18. Totals: 19-3-47.
DELPHOS JEFFERSON
Madison Burris 9, Lyv Lindeman 35, Kyrstin Moore 1, Lauren French 10. Totals: 17-18-55.
3-pointers made: Columbus Grove – Lauryn Auchmuty 4, Allison Thompson 1, Kendal Palte 1; Delphos Jefferson – Madison Burris 2, Lyv Lindeman 1
Records: Columbus Grove 16-5, 6-2 NWC; Delphos Jefferson 19-3, 7-1 NWC
