Cavs, Indians bow out of tournament

ELIDA - Top-seeded Columbus Grove put a stop to Coldwater's tournament run with a 63-44 victory in the Division III district semifinal opener.

Then Fort Recovery couldn't stop Liberty-Benton's Jensen Hiegel in a 56-43 loss.

As a result, the Bulldogs and fourth-seeded Eagles earned a return trip to the Elida Fieldhouse to compete in Saturday's district final at 2 p.m.
Columbus Grove 63,
Coldwater 44

Sixth-seeded Coldwater knocked off two higher-seeded teams to earn a spot in the district semifinal.

Columbus Grove, however, was on a different level.

After a competitive first half, the Bulldogs pulled away from the Cavaliers.

Jade Clement and Lynea Diller each scored 14 points and Macey McCluer added 11 as state-ranked Grove improved to 22-2 on the season in front of a large contingent of fans.

"They're a good team, but I really do feel like our schedule prepares us well," Coldwater coach Connie May said. "I feel like we beat ourselves at times tonight. They have a great guard. They have a great inside game and their rebounding hurt us."

The teams exchanged leads and ties for the majority of the first quarter. Columbus Grove went on a 5-0 run to close the quarter, set into motion by Jade Clement's three-point play, and took a 19-14 lead.

The Bulldogs went on a 10-3 run to open the second quarter and had their lead up to 31-17 at one point before the Cavs went on a run to reduce the gap to 31-23. Macy McCluer knocked down her third three-pointer of the half just before time expired to send Grove into the locker room in front 34-23.

It was a rough shooting second quarter for the Cavs, who went 3-of-12 and missed several point-blank shots around the basket.

Grove upped its lead to 15 at 42-27 after Brooke Hoffman's trey early in the third quarter. The Cavs bounced back to cut the lead to nine with a 6-0 run, capped by Morgan Grunden's triple. Once again, though, Columbus Grove finished the quarter strong, ending it on a 6-2 run to take a 48-35 lead, which only trended up from there.

Danielle Welsch led Coldwater with eight points. Denise Schwieterman, Maura Hoying, Josie Luthman and Madie Schoenherr all scored six for the Cavs, who finish the season with a record of 11-13

Coldwater loses the services of four seniors - Luthman, Schwieterman, Grunden and Brooke Klosterman - off a team that reached the district semifinal for the second consecutive season.

"Sometimes it takes a little while to figure it out when you lose eight seniors like we did (from last season)," May said. "I think it took us a little bit, but once we did, we gained some momentum and we gained some confidence.

"Grove played hard. They played aggressive." she added. "Shooting 30 percent really didn't help our matters and Grove shooting 50 percent was huge. ... But the future looks bright. I think you've got to look at it that way.

Bulldogs coach Brian Schroeder uttered the same sentiment about the future outlook for the Cavs, who will return three starters and a number of rotation players.

"I'd like to coach them next year for sure," Schroeder complimented. "(Maura) Hoying is a good player. (Kourtney) Diller is a great shooter. She was one of the main players we were concerned about. Connie definitely has a lot coming back next year."
Liberty-Benton 56,
Fort Recovery 43

Hiegel didn't earn first team Blanchard Valley Conference this season.

The 5-foot-9 junior might have changed some opinions after Thursday night's game. She scored 30 points and the Eagles shot a season-best 67 percent in the win.

"They came out and played a lot of zone early on and were always near wherever Nicolette (DeVincentis) was, knowing she was our best shooter," Liberty-Benton coach Nate Irwin said. "That was a great game plan by them. Jensen stepped up. She's had some pretty good games for us, but that first half was probably her best basketball in the three years she's played for us."

Kendra Siefring and Hiegel traded baskets early in the first quarter, but then Hiegel took control from there. She netted 13 points in the quarter and ignited a 10-0 spurt to finish the frame with a 19-9 lead.

The Indians appeared ready to make a move with the score 23-15 nearing the midway point of the second, but then Hiegel got another shot to roll home and Sydney Lasiter buried her second three-pointer to ignite a 23-4 run to close the half.

Hiegel was a perfect 10-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 at the foul line on her way to 24 first-half points. She finished 12-of-13 shooting and 5-of-8 from the free throw line.

Fort Recovery had the deficit down to 44-30 after a Siefring three-point play with 3:30 to play in the third quarter. The Eagles responded with a 6-2 run to end the quarter. Hiegel missed her first - and only - shot attempt with 1:36 left in the third. She followed with her third hoop-and-harm three-point play on the next possession and L-B led 50-32.

The Indians made a push to get back into the game in the fourth quarter. Whitney Will scored five points in a row and Grace Thien knocked down a three-pointer as the Indians cut the score to 52-40 with 3:10 left. A steal and a layup by Jocelyn Kaiser and then a free throw by Siefring cut the score to single digits for the first time since it was 23-15. The Tribe, though, could get no closer.

Fort Recovery coach Brian Patch knew DeVincentis was dangerous, and his team ended up limiting a player averaging 19 points per game to just five. On this night, though, DeVincentis' services weren't required because of the play of Hiegel, a second team BVC selection.

"Overall, we kept on saying Hiegel was their best player," Patch said. "We knew she was tough. We knew she would make plays and drive and do those things. Unfortunately tonight, she single-handily (beat us) herself. We had a tough time guarding her, had trouble staying in front and she made a lot of good plays for them."

Richards added 13 points and seven rebounds for he Eagles (17-8), who picked up their 11th victory in 12 games.

Will scored a team-high 17 points in the loss. Siefring added 14 points for the Indians, who shot 37 percent from the field.

"We didn't shoot the ball very well," Patch said. "We had some great looks and came up short on a lot of our shots in the second half, late in the fourth quarter. When you're trying to get back into the game, those are shots you've got to hit."

Fort Recovery finishes the season with a record of 19-5.