Fast start leads Bulldogs to win

CELINA - Celina players told coach Toma Hainline after their game against St. Henry that their shooting in warmups has been a little off.

It didn't show.

The Bulldogs connected on nine of their first 10 field goal attempts of the game to build a double-digit lead in the first quarter and rolled to a 54-37 victory over the Redskins on Monday night at the Fieldhouse.

"We moved the ball," said Hainline, whose team snapped a two-game losing skid. "We were patient. I think our last two games of playing pressing teams in Coldwater and Bath and us really trying to work the ball and get good shots ... I told them at halftime that was paying off for us. At one time, I even saw a double-skip pass in there, which I haven't seen in two years.

"When you're doing those kinds of things that make the defense work, it gives you better, more relaxed shots instead of pressed shots."

Jenna Berry started hot, scoring five points in the opening minutes to help the Bulldogs build an 8-2 advantage. Heather Heiby, who had four dimes in the first quarter, assisted Trish Dennis and Caelyn Reineke for layups after back-to-back St. Henry turnovers. Heiby's three-pointer with 3:15 left put Celina in front 15-5, a lead that swelled to 19-7 by quarter's end. The Redskins had seven first-quarter turnovers.

Heiby cashed in a pair of free throws and hit her second triple of the night midway through the second to put her team in front 29-11. Celina pushed its lead to 35-15 by break.

"One of our keys was to start off well and end well," St. Henry coach Kurt Huelsman said. "That's one of the things we've been struggling with this year, starting the game off the right way, not getting down early. That's something they capitalized on right away. They shot the ball really well and knocked down some shots.

"It kind of slowed us up a little bit and it was hard to recover from that."

Ellie Stammen scored six of her team-high 15 points in the third quarter, a stretch when the Redskins outscored the Bulldogs 12-10. But Celina was in control the rest of the way, thanks to the fast start.

Berry poured in 16 points to lead the Bulldogs. Heiby added 12 points and dished out 11 assists. Kelly Stahl had a game-high 10 rebounds.

Jacey King contributed eight points for St. Henry. Olivia Stahl had a team-high six boards.

Celina returns to action in 2015, traveling to play Minster on Jan. 3. St. Henry makes the trek to Eaton next Monday.