GIRLS' BASKETBALL - Willard tops Norwalk

By MICHAEL GRECO
Reflector Sports Editor
mgreco@norwalkreflector.com

Willard pulled away from Norwalk for a 54-41 win Friday in Northern Ohio League girls’ basketball action.
The Lady Flashes improved to 13-5 overall, 9-3 in the league, while the Lady Truckers fell to 3-14 and 2-11.
Trailing 5-2, Willard went on a 10-0 run and closed the quarter with a 12-7 advantage.
The visitors, led by Ally Graham’s eight points, increased that margin to 35-22 by halftime.
Each team scored 19 points in the second half.
“Anytime you get a win on the road, that’s good,’’ Lady Flashes coach Jon Dawson said. “They played us tough. For the  most part, we ran what we needed to do.’’
Willard used the height advantage of Alysun Daniel. The 5-foot-10 junior had 12 points.
“We need to have her get touches,’’ Dawson said. “That’s a big part of our team. They were collapsing and I thought she did a good job of kicking the ball out to our shooters.’’
Graham, Elizabeth Fried and Amber Christie were the beneficiaries of those passes.
Graham paced the Lady Flashes with 13 points, including a pair of three-point field goals. Fried also hit a triple and scored nine of her 12 points in the first half. Christie chipped in with eight points.
“We missed a couple of rotations,’’ Norwalk coach Marjoe Cooper said. “She (Daniel) does a good job of using her defender.”
Willard shot 20-of-51 from the field and 9-of-14 from the free-throw line with 30 rebounds and 12 turnovers. Daniel pulled down seven rebounds and Jenna Bauerle contributed six.
“I thought we had some good energy to start with,’’ Dawson said.
For the Lady Truckers, Celeste Duncan tallied 14 points with a three. Katie Gross and Lindsey Ziemke each put in seven points.
“We need to play with more energy,’’ Cooper said. “That is something we’re fighting; to compete for 32 minutes. I thought we missed some early shots. We’re still fighting the mental side.
“I thought Celeste was a warrior and I thought Taylor Smith played hard,’’ the coach added. “It’s a good effort.’’
Norwalk converted 14-of-42 from the field and 12-of-20 from the charity stripe with  25 boards and 21 turnovers. Hannah Schneider and Hayley Souslin each hauled down five rebounds.
In the reserve game, Samantha Obringer and Oakley Shane combined for 37 points as the Lady Truckers grabbed a 51-24 victory.
Obringer led the way with 19 points and Shane put in 18.
Norwalk kept expanding its 16-6 first-quarter lead.
The Lady Flashes have two more league games left — hosting Bellevue Tuesday and Galion Thursday. The game Thursday is rescheduled from Feb. 5.
Norwalk closes the season with a home game against Tiffin Calvert Monday and games at Fostoria Tuesday and Huron Thursday.
“We continue to shoot ourselves in the foot,’’ Cooper said. “When we’re not a team, we’re not very good.’’


Boxscores
Varsity
Willard 54
Bauerle 0-1-1, Cofer 2-0-5, Graham 4-2-13, Christie 3-2-8, Fried 5-1-12, Schaffer 0-1-1, Daniel 5-2-12, DeWitt 1-0-2. Totals: 20-9-54.
Norwalk 41
Celeste Duncan 5-3-14, Schneider 1-3-5, Shane 0-1-1, Gray 1-0-2, Souslin 1-0-2, Obringer 0-1-1, Smith 1-0-2, Gross 2-3-7, Ziemke 3-1-7. Totals: 14-12-41.
Willard    12    23    11    8 — 54
Norwalk    7    15    9    10 — 41

Reserve
Willard 24
Gibson 2-0-4, Danhoff 3-3-9, Stephens 0-1-1, Bauer 1-0-2, Mosley 1-0-2, Holmes 3-0-6. Totals: 10-4-24.
Norwalk 51
Shane 7-4-18, Osborn 0-2-2, Obringer 7-4-19, Souslin 1-2-4, Thomas 3-0-6, Hall 1-0-2. Totals: 19-12-51.
Willard    6    8    7    3 — 24
Norwalk    16    15    16    4 — 51