Bend, but not break

CELINA - After Tuesday's loss at Crestview, Celina girls basketball coach Branden Rushton stressed defense as the Bulldogs got ready to face Wapakoneta on Thursday.

Rushton got to see his team step up big time.

Despite not scoring a point over the final 3 1/2 minutes of the game, Celina held off Wapakoneta's charge down the stretch and hung on for a 32-31 victory at the Fieldhouse for the Bulldogs' first Western Buckeye League win of the season.

Celina led 32-26 with 3:38 remaining in the game after Maria Lutz's bucket. Those were the Bulldogs' the final points, as Celina either turned the ball over or missed either a basket or a free throw on its last eight possessions. The Bulldogs countered with big defensive plays, including taking two charges, one coming with 38.6 seconds remaining as the Redskins got the ball inside for a potential go-ahead basket.

"Defense is what we focused on coming out of Tuesday," said Rushton. "I felt we didn't defend as we should have. So we said 'Let's play four great quarters of defense and whatever happens, just defend the whole night.' They took that to heart and it paid off tonight."

Celina spotted Wapak the opening points of the game before going on a 9-0 run to go up 9-2. The Redskins cut the margin to 9-6 by the end of the quarter. Celina was held to just five points in the second quarter but held Wapak to just six points and kept the lead at 14-12 at halftime.

Kira Dirksen got the second half started with a bang for Celina, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to increase the margin to 20-12 with two minutes gone in the half. Wapakoneta, though, kept inching back. Nikane Ambos scored four straight points and Elizabeth Good hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 24-21 with 1:39 remaining in the quarter. Reagan Courter cut it to one, but Kemarra Burns got a bunny to fall just before the buzzer to give Celina a 26-23 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Allie Wilson tied the game for Wapak to start the fourth quarter with a trey, but Taylor Klingshirn put the Bulldogs back in front with a bucket with 7:09 remaining. Two minutes passed before Lutz hit two free throws to make it a four-point lead and, after a Wapak turnover, Lutz scored a basket to put Celina up 32-26.

Ambos knocked down a pair of free throws with 3:14 remaining to cut it to 32-28. Just over a minute later, Good hit a free throw to get the Redskins to within three, and then Ambos scored with 80 seconds remaining to get Wapak to within one.

Celina's defense, with Klingshirn fouled out and Lutz playing with four fouls, stepped up, taking a charge with 38.6 seconds left, only to lose the ball on a jump ball 16 seconds later. After Wapakoneta's final timeout, the Redskins turned the ball over at the top of the key. Emma Homan was fouled with 1.4 seconds left, missed the front end of the one-and-bonus but got her own rebound as time expired.

"Got to make it interesting," said Rushton.

With two wins in the last four games, Rushton is hoping good things happen once the tournament begins.

"It's a brand new season," said Rushton. "We want to be playing our best basketball right now and I think we're doing that."

Dirksen finished with 11 for Celina. Carley Eichler added five points.

Ambos finished with 10 for Wapakoneta. Wilson added six.

Celina returns to action Tuesday when Fort Recovery comes to the Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs wrap up the regular season next Thursday at St. Marys.