Sophomore Erinn Buchanan key for Generals in win

WARSAW - Nobody saw the type of game sophomore Buchanan had Tuesday night coming.

Because Kaitlyn Finton was in foul trouble, Buchanan got most of the duty in the post, and she didn't disappoint, totaling 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

No one expected that from the sophomore, who was starting her first varsity game: not her coach, Doug Patterson; her teammates; or River View. But her play ended up being a big part of the Generals 49-43 win over the Black Bears.

"She did amazing. I can't believe how much she stepped up. Honestly, without her I don't think we would've won the game," point guard Audrey Tingle said.

Patterson admitted he has probably been the hardest on Buchanan in practice because he thought she was still in a volleyball mindset at times.

"For her to come in here and play a game like that, I mean she was just all over," he said. "She wasn't even supposed to be a starter on this team, but somebody is going to have to fight to keep her out of it now."

Her counterpart on the night, Mackenzie Huff, had a good night of her own totaling 15 points and 10 rebounds, her second consecutive double-digit rebound night.

"(Huff) does a nice job. She is going to give you 100 percent every time. She just needs to refine her game," River View coach Jeff Vickers said. "She is working on that, but you can't fault the kid's determination."

After a pair of Huff free throws tied the game at 12 with five minutes to play in the second quarter, Ridgewood started to take control. The Generals went on a 13-5 run before halftime and led 25-17.

But the Black Bears didn't have any quit in them.

Vickers said he told his team that if they got the lead to three by the end of the third quarter, they would be OK. So the Black Bears went on a 13-5 run of their own.

"We had a nice run there, we took the lead, but we just have to get that next step," Vickers said.

River View did take the lead with 2:23 left in the third quarter, and it looked like they would reach the point Vickers wanted them at.

"At first, there was a little bit in me that panicked, but I had trust in our team," Tingle said.

Tingle found none other than Buchanan for a layup to tie it at 30 apiece, and then she found her again, this time with 1.7 seconds in the third. Buchanan made the layup, despite being fouled, and put the Generals up three as the third quarter was coming to a close, the spot Vickers said he wanted to reach.

When Buchanan missed her free throw, Morgan McDorman got the rebound and put it back up, pushing the Generals' lead to five.

"That was huge momentum change," Vickers said.

The lead wasn't safe for long as Danielle Muhleman found Cydney Whiteus for three, cutting the lead to two with 6:53 to play in the fourth, but then Ridgewood found a way to stretch it again.

The Generals went on a 7-0 run, taking a 42-33 lead with 3:41 to play. The Black Bears would get no closer.

"We really fought through tonight. We lost our ten-point lead, but we fought back and got back into it," McDorman said.

The Black Bears fall to 0-2, despite holding second half leads in both of their losses..

"We just have to get a little bit better at closing out," Vickers said. "We have to grow up as a team. I don't mean that in a bad way, we just have to grow up as a team and mature."

They will travel to New Philadelphia Saturday in search of their first win of the season.

"I told the girls that the game is going to have ups and downs. You have to play through those downs, and when those ups are happening, you have to really pour it on. That's just the way it is. You have to survive mentally more than physically through those things," VIckers said.

Ridgewood will host East Canton on Saturday looking to win its second game of the season.

"We are going to have to protect the ball. I think we will be a little better on defense against East Canton," Patterson said. "They all seem happy, stay happy and have fun."

cteaguerob@gannett.com

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Twitter: @cj_teague

Ridgewood 10-15-10-14 — 49

Home Team 6-11-13-13 — 43

Ridgewood: 14-43 FG, 19-33 FT, 2-13 3pt. (McDorman 2)  46 rebounds (Buchanan 11), 16 turnovers, 8 Assists (Tingle 5), Steals 14 (Tingle 7). Scoring: Audrey Tingle 2 11-16 15; Erinn Buchanan 5 4-11 14, Morgan McDorman 4 2-4 12, Kaitlyn Finton 2 2-2 6, Autumn Brown 1 0-0 2.

River View: 16-48 FG, 8-14 FT, 3- 3pt. (Muchelman, Cassidy Whiteus and Cydney Whiteus 1) 29 rebounds (Huff 11), 14 turnovers, 10 Assists, Steals 16 (Five 1). Scoring: Mackenzie Huff 4 7-10 15; Katie Lahna 4 0-2 8, Cassidy Whiteus 3 0-0 7, Cydney Whiteus 2 1-2 6, Danielle Muhleman 2 0-0 5, Mallory Giffin 1 0-0 2