Ernsthausen leads Gibsonburg to overtime victory
ELMORE - Woodmore’s Mikey Blausey dropped in a three-pointer to force overtime Friday.
Josh Ernsthausen scored eight points as Gibsonburg started the extra session with a spurt to establish a 10-point lead in a 78-68 non-conference victory over the Wildcats.
“Josh battled through,” Golden Bears coach Brent Liskai said. “He got tired, but he stepped up when he needed to. He got aggressive offensively to start the overtime and it gave us a cushion.”
Ernsthausen finished with 32 points, including an assortment of floaters, jumpers and putbacks, and added 13 rebounds.
“Kane (Gomez) and (Nick) Kille did a great job penetrating and pitching to him,” Liskai said. “He got a lot of looks. It was Game 1. The perimeter did an outstanding job and we won on the glass.”
Kille had nine points and seven rebounds and Gomez had 13 points and six assists.
Woodmore trailed 55-40 in the fourth quarter. JT Atkin canned a three before he and Mitchell Miller scored in transition and Derek Wank capped a 13-0 run with a steal and bucket for a 59-58 deficit with 52.5 seconds left in regulation.
“It was a game of runs,” Wildcats coach Aaron Clouse said. “At times we looked tired and Gibsonburg made a run and looked tired. They had one more in them. We didn’t quit. We scratched and clawed back. That’s what I wanted to see.”
Ernsthausen made two free throws before Blausey’s three.
“He stepped up big,” Clouse said. “He got a clean look and he cashed it in. He battles inside, but he can step out. We’ve seen that before.”
Gibsonburg outscored Woodmore 12-2 to start overtime.
“This is always a big game we like to play in,” Ernsthausen said. “The crowd gets into it. Every time they made a run, somebody put it on their shoulders and got us going.”
Woodmore made 9 of 35 threes. That led to a lot of long rebounds and Gibsonburg pushed the pace when it could.
“We like to get out and run and push the ball,” Ernsthausen said. “We run up and down. It puts teams on their heels and gives us momentum.”
Mitchell Miller demonstrated a scorer’s touch from all over the floor and finished with 21 points and seven rebounds for Woodmore. Atkin had 12 points and Corey Swisher 10.
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