Ottawa-Glandorf’s Karsyn Erford, left, pulls a loose ball away from Elmwood’s Madi Lee during Saturday’s sectional final game in Ottawa.
Jessica Trinko | The Lima News
OTTAWA — For Ottawa-Glandorf’s girls basketball team, the defense provided a winning formula on Saturday.
Grab the ball from Elmwood. Zip the ball downcourt to a wide-open teammate. Hit an uncontested layup.
The Titans just kept repeating those steps on their way to a 23-5 lead in the first quarter before they ever missed a shot attempt. The result was a 63-20 rout against Elmwood in the sectional finals.
“That’s a good way to start our tournament,” said Katie Kaufman who scored eight points. “We established our dominance early in the first quarter and second quarter, and it allowed our second team to get in and work so they’re comfortable getting into a game that’s a tighter situation.”
Few of the top-seeded Titan starters played more than about a quarter and a half, and all 11 girls who dressed for the game scored points. The Titans (21-2) picked up 20 steals and forced 26 turnovers in the win, led by Savannah Recker’s six steals off the bench.
The Titans face the winner of Saturday night’s Parkway-Wayne Trace game at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Elida Fieldhouse in the district semifinals.
O-G, which finished No. 3 in the final Division III Associated Press Poll, hit nearly 70% of its shots in the first half and finished hitting 51% of its baskets, compared to the Royals’ 27%. They also held a 29-15 rebounding edge against Elmwood (3-20).
“The defense was locked in for the first game of the tournament after a bit of a layoff,” O-G coach Troy Yant said. “You wanted to make sure that we picked up kind of where we left off against Defiance (in the regular-season finale), and I thought the girls did a great job.”
The Titans held the Royals scoreless in the second quarter when they went on a 25-0 run. Most of the second half worked with a running clock, based on a 35-plus point advantage, and Yant’s Titans backed off from their usual full-court pressure.
No Elmwood scorer had more than six points.
Karsyn Erford and Gracie Lammers had nine points apiece. Lammers’ points came off the bench, with all nine of them coming in the fourth quarter.
Kaufman, Myka Aldrich, and Alivia Grothause, who came off the bench, each scored eight points as part of a balanced scoring barrage.
“I was really happy with the girls on the second team, as we’ll call them, with the way they came in and played the way you want them to play,” Yant said. “They stepped up in a tournament moment. Gracie Lammers came in, and after a little bit of jitters, I think she settled in. Savannah and Alivia really played well coming off the bench.”
Ottawa-Glandorf 63, Elmwood 20
Score by quarters:
Elmwood 8 0 6 6 — 20
Ottawa-Glandorf 23 25 2 13 — 63
ELMWOOD
Izzy Courtney 6, Selina Deal 6, McKenzie Laird 2, Molly Barringer 2, Janessa Childress 2, Addie Hoffman 2. Totals: 7-4-20.
OTTAWA-GLANDORF
Alivia Grothause 8, Karsyn Erford 9, Carlie Brinkman 6, Gracie Lammers 9, Megan Horstman 5, Savannah Recker 2, Madison McKee 3, Katie Kaufman 8, Greta Liebrecht 2, Myka Aldrich 8, Kaitlyn Kimmet 3. Totals: 24-13-63.
Records — Elmwood 3-20; Ottawa-Glandorf 21-2
Reach David Trinko at 567-242-0467 or on Twitter @Lima_Trinko.
