Lady Titans end Crestview’s fine season

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

ELIDA — Ottawa-Glandorf was too much for Crestview, as the Lady Titans defeated the Lady Knights 55-40 to win the Division IV girls’ basketball district championship at Elida on Saturday.

Crestview’s season ended at 19-7, which included a streak of 13 consecutive wins. No. 1 seed and state-ranked Ottawa-Glandorf (No. 9 in Division III) improved to 23-2 and will play Liberty Benton in the regional semifinals at Ohio Northern on Tuesday.

“I thought our kids battled them the way we expected,” Crestview head coach Mark Gregory said. “We shot the ball well in the first half, and didn’t shoot it as well in the second. I do think they wore us down with their depth and pressure. We played hard till the very end, which I am very proud of.”

BGSU-bound Kadie Hempfling scored the first six points of the game, but Paige Motycka put the Lady Knights on the board with a triple nearly halfway through the first quarter. A bucket by Paige Sutter and a triple by Hempfling increased Ottawa-Glandorf’s lead to 11-3, before Lexi Gregory hit a deep trey to make it 11-6. Hempfling countered with a basket, but Motycka scored twice more from the floor to pull Crestview to within two, 13-11 at the end of the first quarter.

Gregory opened the second period with a trey and a basket to give the Lady Knights a 16-13 lead, but a steal, basket and free throw by Hempfling tied the game, then a trey by Kasey Ellerbrock put Ottawa-Glandorf up 19-16. A bucket and a free throw by Motycka knotted the score at 19. From there, the Lady Titans went on a critical 8-0 run in about 60 seconds. Ellerbrock started it with a triple, followed by one by Brianna Schimmoeller, then a steal and basket by Schimmoeller that extended O-G’s lead to 27-19. A short jumper by Motycka ended the run and trimmed Crestview’s deficit to six at halftime.

The Lady Titans opened the third quarter with an 8-3 run that effectively put the game out of reach. Hemfling and Sutter each scored four points, while Crestview’s points came on a trey by Gregory. By the time the quarter ended, O-G outscored Crestview 18-9, and led 45-30.

“Kadie is a great player,” Gregory said of Hempfling. “She is their all time leading scorer, but what separates her is her passing and rebounding. Every time you try to double team her, she found her teammate.”

The two teams each scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. Hempfling ended the game with 25 points, while Gregory led Crestview with 19 points and nine rebounds. Paige Motycka finished with 14 points.

It was the final game for four Crestview seniors – Lyvia Black, Alyssa Gent, Ally McCoy and Motycka.

“I am very proud of the entire group and these seniors,” Gregory said. “They helped us finish the season strong and put themselves in position to win a sectional championship and play for a district championship.”

“Many people play their entire career and don’t get these opportunities,” Gregory added.

Scoring summary:

Ottawa-Glandorf  13 14 18 10 – 55
Crestview                11 10  9 10 – 40

O-G: Ashley Schroeder 1-0-2; Kelsey Erford 0-2-2; Corrie Johnson 1-0-2; Erin Kaufman 2-1-5; Brianna Schimmoeller 3-0-7; Kasey Ellerbrock 2-0-6; Kadie Hempfling 9-6-25; Paige Sutter 2-2-6

Crestview: Bailey Gregory 1-0-3; Lyvia Black 1-0-2; Lexi Gregory 7-1-19; Ally McCoy 0-2-2; Paige Motycka 5-2-14