Crestview gets revenge on Wynford in girls hoops
Cougars find way in fourth quarter to down Wynford
- Neither team held a lead greater than four at any point in the game until the fourth quarter
- Cougars and they shot 8 for 8 in the fourth to grab the 56-47
- Sara Ogden led the Royals with a double-double
- Alyssa Harrer and junior Gretchen Harris each chipped in with 11
HOLMES TOWNSHIP – The Crestview Cougars had one thing on their minds heading into the matchup with the Wynford Royals on Tuesday night – revenge.
Last season the Royals knocked out the Cougars in a double-overtime sectional championship thriller. Tuesday was a different story.
The Royals came out and matched the Cougars shot for shot. At the end of the first, it was all tied up at 13 and it looked as if the Royal and Cougar faithful were in for another barn burner.
“I think Crestview will be hard to beat all season,” Wynford coach Amy Taylor-Sheldon said. “They have an incredible guard in (Renee) Stimpert who can do whatever she wants.”
Neither team held a lead greater than four at any point in the game until the fourth quarter. The Cougars struggled from beyond the arch all night long shooting a rough 6 for 19. But the fourth quarter brought on some magic for the Cougars and they shot 8 for 8 to grab the 56-47 victory at W.R. Donnenwirth Gym.
“They did not miss a shot in the fourth quarter and that is something that is always going to be hard to beat,” Taylor-Sheldon said. “Defensively, we did what we wanted to do and we knew we had to rebound well with the long three’s and we did that.”
The Royals played 10 players in a rotation that seemed to have the Cougars a bit off of their game. Jade Stuckman and Hayley McCoy drew the tough task of guarding the Cougars all-Ohio guard in Stimpert. They face guarded her from the moment the ball was inbounded and held her in check in the second and third quarters.
“I think everyone who plays them had to acknowledge that it is going to take the whole team to stop her,” Taylor-Sheldon said. “I thought we did a nice job containing what she could do. But when it came to the fourth quarter, we dared them to make shots and they did.”
With the Royals trailing 35-33 heading into the final period, the Cougars found their stroke with their unblemished quarter. At one point, the Cougars led by 10 for the biggest lead of the night. A Stimpert steal and three ball sealed the deal.
“We knew it would be tough to come in here,” Crestview coach Aaron Goon said. “They had us outsized and we made a change defensively that made it a bit tougher to get the ball up the floor. She (Taylor-Sheldon) plays a lot of girls but she also has a group she likes and when those girls get tired, it helps us.”
The Cougars had a tough night from beyond the arch but connected on three treys in the final period to pace a 21-point outburst.
“We shot the ball well Friday night and didn’t shoot it so well on Saturday,” Goon said. “We get a little streaky and our confidence takes a hit if we do not make the first one. We trust them to shoot – if we did not we would tell them.”
The Royals were under heavy defensive pressure all evening and were forced into 35 turnovers.
They got a tough effort from junior Sara Ogden who led the Royals with a double-double. She scored 15 points and grabbed 14 boards in the effort. Senior Alyssa Harrer and junior Gretchen Harris each chipped in with 11. Harrer also blocked four shots. The Royals drop to 1-1 on the season and will host Riverdale on Saturday.
Stimpert led all scorers with 22 points including four treys. She grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists on the night. Jackie Baith chipped in with 11 points and Lexie Shriver added nine. The Cougars improve to 3-0 on the young season and will host Buckeye Central on Dec. 1.
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Stat Book:
Crestview 13-10-12-21 — 56
Wynford 13-9-11-14 — 47
Crestview: 15-27 FG, 7-10 FT, 6-29 3pt. (Stimpert 4, Restille 1, Shriver 1) 20 rebounds (Stimpert 6), 18 turnovers, 10 Assists (Stimpert 5). Scoring: Stimpert 22; Baith 11; Shriver 9; Restille 7; Fulk 4; McLaughlin 2; Hickey 2.
Wynford: 18-32 FG, 5-12 FT, 2-7 3pt. (Harrer 2) 29 rebounds (Ogden 14), 35 turnovers, 8 Assists (Harris 2). Scoring: Ogden 15; Harrer 11; Harris 11; O. Grove 4; McCoy 2; Cooper 2; Zinser 2