Still flying high

CELINA - The final day of the 35th annual OVISCO Classic saw a nailbiter of a game that was decided on a missed shot in the final seconds. Then there was the championship game.

Marion Local led Coldwater by 19 going into the fourth quarter and kept up the pressure to secure a 55-31 win and its third consecutive tournament title at the Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.

Earlier in the evening, Celina fell 37-35 to St. Henry in the consolation game as two comeback efforts went to waste, with the potential game-tying shot clanking off the rim just before time expired.

Marion Local 55, Coldwater 31

For the second straight year, the Flyers and Cavaliers met in the championship game, and for the second straight year Marion came out on top.

Heavy pressure stifled Coldwater from the outset, as the Flyers forced nine turnovers in the first-quarter on the way to an early 14-4 lead. For the game, the Cavaliers turned the ball over 25 times.

"We had some lapses, they put some pressure on us and we didn't take care of the basketball," Coldwater coach Keenan Leichty. "But for the most part, the girls were patient, they gave great effort. We just didn't hit enough shots."

Coldwater was able to keep the game in shouting distance in the second as the offense got going. Riley Rismiller sank three free throws, while Annelise Harlamert and Becca Wenning hit big shots to keep the Cavaliers in the game.

But it unraveled after halftime. The Flyers turned a 31-18 lead midway through the third into a 39-20 lead by the start of the fourth, with six points from Alana Pohlman powering the Marion offense.

"We just talked about good ball movement, continuing to attack," Streib said. "I think it was key that Stella Huelsman hit that three right before half, because they'd cut it to seven and that got it back to 10. Just talked about how we wanted to keep that lead and continue it on, but continue the pressure, because I think that did frazzle them in the first half."

Coldwater's shooting improved in the second half, making seven field goals as opposed to just four in the first two quarters. But it wasn't enough, as Marion got off twice as many shots and went to the line 15 times. The Flyers came away with nine offensive rebounds, with three of Pohlman's nine rebounds coming on the offensive glass.

"She did a great job of crashing the boards, and that's what she does," Leichty said of Pohlman. "She brings a lot of intangibles to the game, but I thought we did a decent job as far as keeping her in check within their offense. But she got her points on the offensive boards, unfortunately."

Marion was able to keep Coldwater forwards Harlamert and Riley Rismiller largely in check, keeping up the pressure and daring the Cavaliers to shoot the ball from the perimeter. Coldwater took just three shots from beyond the arc, with Rismiller shooting just 4-of-19.

"We wanted to make them beat us from the outside, so anytime they got in there we wanted our guards to double, triple-team if we had to," Streib said. "We did that pretty well at times, there were times we forgot and that was when they converted."

Pohlman led the way with 19 points for the Flyers, while Sammy Hoelscher scored 12 and Heidi Rethman added 11. Rismiller scored 15 for the Cavaliers, with Madison Wendel adding 11 late.

St. Henry 37, Celina 35

Celina trailed St. Henry 20-9 at halftime and 31-23 with 5:38 to play, but the Bulldogs never said die.

Carley Eichler gave Celina its first lead with 1:34 left after a 10-0 run. Lauren Beyke responded 12 seconds later to tie the game at 33 and Mya Ontrop grabbed a rebound on the other end to give St. Henry the ball with a minute to play.

After a timeout, Jalynn Everman hit a corner three with 51 seconds left to give the Redskins back the lead, and Alayna Ahlers hit a layup for crucial insurance on the next possession.

"A younger me would've said, 'Don't you dare shoot that, try to run some clock,' " St. Henry coach Kyle Menchhofer said. "But I want these girls to have confidence. Jaylnn hit a big shot for a freshman, and then Claire Wendel made a very good pass to Alayna Ahlers for a layup that was critical. I was yelling, 'Pull it out, pull it out,' and Claire, good thing she didn't listen. Alayna made the layup and that was the difference in the game right there."

Ahlers missed the opportunity to make it an and-one, though, and Celina was able to snag the rebound and drive down the court, where Taylor Klingshirn hit a jumper from the free throw line to make it a two point-game. Ontrop took a shot on the other end with four seconds to play and Emma Homan grabbed the rebound to set up one last shot.

But Kyilla Billingsley's jumper caromed off the rim and the buzzer sounded before the Bulldogs could get another one off.

"It's just kind of the way the ball bounces in basketball sometimes," Celina coach Branden Rushton said. "They get a long pass down here, one way it could be a steal, but it goes right through and they get a layup. What can you do? You play good defense, sometimes it just doesn't bounce your way."

The late drama obscured a struggling offense for Celina, which shot just 2-of-26 from the floor in the first half and 10-of-54 for the game. Several shots rimmed out at crucial moments, adding to the Bulldogs' woes.

"A lot of girls missed shots that they're capable of making, we missed a bunch of free throws in the first half, which are correctable things," Rushton said. "We can take the positives away from that. We got the good looks we wanted, we were able to defend. Some of those bounce the other way, this game's a little different."

Celina only scored four points in the first quarter, with its only field goal coming on a breakaway by Kyilla Billingsley. The Bulldogs were bailed out by their defense, which held the Redskins to three points in the first seven minutes.

But St. Henry scored five points in the final 1:03 of the first quarter to pull ahead and the run continued into the second quarter, with the Redskins stretching it to 12-1 to take a 15-4 lead with 5:33 to go before halftime.

Eichler and Everman each scored a game-high 10 points, while Wendel pulled down 13 rebounds for St. Henry.

NEXT UP

Marion Local and St. Henry face off at Redskin Gymnasium on Saturday in a rescheduled MAC contest. Coldwater hosts Lima Central Catholic at the Palace on Saturday. Celina hosts Marion Local on Tuesday.