Elida ends Van Wert’s season 37-22

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

ELIDA — Points were at a premium but there was plenty of physical play during Thursday’s Division II sectional semifinal at the Elida Field House.

In a rough-and-tumble game, Van Wert fell behind 10-2 in the first quarter and could never really recover in a 37-22 loss to the Bulldogs. The loss ended Van Wert’s season at 6-17. The game was a rematch of last Thursday’s regular season finale, which Van Wert won 44-35, but the second time around was very different.

“We knew they were very capable of playing physical,” Van Wert head coach Hannah Phlipot said. “We prepared to see both zone and some man and I think we were surprised to see so much man. With the physical nature in the first half they (the officials) let them play for the most part, especially out front and we didn’t handle that real well. That’s where quite a few of our turnovers came from.”

Van Wert was held without a basket in the second quarter but the Cougars convered five of six foul shots, with Katie DeAmicis and Jazzlyn Florence each converting a pair. However, two treys by Elida’s Oliveah Sanders in the final 90 seconds of the half gave the Bulldogs a 22-11 lead at the break.

In the third quarter, Amaya Dowdy scored four of Van Wert’s six points and the Cougars trailed 30-17 entering the final period. Kendra Deehring, who was saddled with three fouls and an injury in the first half, hit a pair of baskets in the fourth quarter. She finished with a team high eight points, while Dowdy added seven.

The Cougars were 6-of-25 shooting and 10-of-14 from the foul line, with 12 rebounds and 24 turnovers. Elida was 17-of-40 from the field and 0-2 from the free throw line with 23 rebounds and 25 turnovers. JoJo White and Alexis Ward each scored eight points for the Bulldogs (7-16), who will play No. 1 seed Bryan in the sectional finals on Saturday.

The game was the final one for Van Wert’s lone senior, Jordanne Blythe and Phlipot had nothing but praise for her only upperclassman.

“She is a silent leader and she has been for four years for us,” Phliphot stated. “She’s a coach’s dream and she does everything a coach asks her to do. She does it with 100 percent effort and the kids follow. The tears that you see are because she’s gone…everyone else is coming back.”

“We’re upset that we lost and there’s some emotions around that but I think when you talk to our kids the emotions are that Jordanne’s not coming back next year,” she added.

She also lauded the rest of the players on team and said their effort and coachability were top-notch throughout the season.

“There was never a moment that they questioned a single thing the coaches asked of them to do,” Phlipot said. “They may not have been able to totally execute everything we asked them to do but they tried it with full heart and effort.”

Phlipot noted the roster has some talented underclassmen and she talked about priorities during the off-season.

“When you look at some of our games, turnovers, jump balls, things like that, we just came across some teams that were physically bigger and stronger than we are and we’re in control of that,” the coach explained. “We can fix that so that’s going to be the No. 1 priority and then get in the gym and work on skills.”

Box score

Bulldogs 12 10 8 7 – 37
Cougars 6 5 6 5 – 22

Elida: Leah Ramirez 1-0-2; JoJo Knight 4-0-8; Lilly Sifrit 2-0-4; Alexis Ward 4-0-8; Oliveah Sanders 3-0-9; Emma Mitchell 3-0-6

Van Wert: Kendra Deehring 4-0-8; Katie DeAmicis 0-2-2; Jordanne Blythe 0-1-1; Jazzlyn Florence 1-2-4; Amaya Dowdy 2-3-7