2/3/2010
Van Wert downed by Lady T-Birds, 45-21
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| Drew Bittner/Times Bulletin
Van Wert’s Ashley Mohr (24) looks for an open teammate during a game against LCC on Tuesday, February 2, in Van Wert. |
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BY DREW BITTNER
Times Bulletin Sports Editor
sports@timesbulletin.com
VAN WERT - On paper, it was not supposed to go this way. Fresh off a convincing 14-point road victory over Defiance, Van Wert appeared to be in tremendous position to grab their sixth win of the season against a Lima Central Catholic team that entered Tuesday night's game with a 3-12 overall record.
But games are not played on paper.
LCC proved which team wanted it more on Tuesday, as the Lady T-Birds invaded the Cougars Den in Van Wert and flew away with a 45-21 victory over the Lady Cougars.
The contest was a very tight affair for much of the first quarter, as both teams struggled to find their rhythm early in the game.
Alex Morrow put the game's first point on the board with a free throw on one of Van Wert's first few possessions of the contest, but LCC's Kelly Mulcahy quickly answered on the other end with a two-point bucket for the T-Birds.
Van Wert retook the lead on four unanswered points by Molly Gamble and Nikki Young, but an 8-0 run by LCC, including three-pointers by Danielle Taflinger and Mulcahy, staked the Lady T-Birds to a 10-5 lead.
After a Gamble bucket made it 10-7, LCC's Stacia Allen put four quick points on the board with under a minute left in the first quarter, and after one, it was LCC leading, 14-7.
Everything went downhill for Van Wert after that.
The second quarter was a lopsided stanza in favor of the visitors, with LCC putting up 12 points in contrast to Van Wert's three points. Five Lady T-Birds scored in the second, with Taflinger leading the charge with four points. At halftime, LCC led by 16 points, 26-10.
Alex Morrow (six points) led a Lady Cougars' effort in the third quarter that saw Van Wert keep pace with LCC during the stanza, 7-7, but Van Wert failed to make up any ground, and trailed after three quarters, 33-17.
Morrow and Gamble combined for all of Van Wert's four points in the fourth quarter, as the Lady Cougars were outscored 12-4 on their way to the 45-21 defeat.
After the contest, Van Wert coach Destri Bockey-Long was clearly unhappy with her team's effort - an outing that, unfortunately for the Van Wert faithful in attendance, was filled with mental lapses and unfocused errors.
"Mentally, we weren't there," said Bockey-Long. "It's not everyone, but it is enough of the team that it affects us. And we were a little selfish [tonight] and didn't play as a team. We have some girls that bust their butts and some girls that sit and wait for things to happen. I think [the girls] entered the game expecting it to be easy. And as soon as it wasn't easy, then we got out of whack. Attitude is a lot for these girls. Mentality is a lot. We started off decent [tonight], but just didn't keep it together and fell apart. We have to get it together for Thursday. We have a big game coming up on Thursday and we are just lucky that tonight wasn't a league game."
Thursday's game is a very important home matchup against Wapakoneta, as the Redskins are 4-2 in Western Buckeye League play and feature one of the area's best in Heidi Schlegel. Bockey-Long knows her team needs to get that mental intensity and focus back quickly.
"We need to be able to work our offense when there is some pressure on us," noted Bockey-Long. "We struggle to keep our composure and do things that work when teams pressure us. We go a little crazy and when something doesn't work the first time, then we get the mentality that it doesn't work [at all] - at least that's the mentality that we got tonight. We need to put more pressure on each other in practice and stay more focused."
Morrow and Gamble each scored nine points for Van Wert. Young added three points. Allen and Kelly Ahman led LCC with ten points, apiece.
With the loss, Van Wert falls to 5-10 on the season. LCC improves to 4-12.
The LCC junior varsity also won, 36-24.
Score by quarter
LCC 14 12 7 12 - 45
Van Wert 7 3 7 4 - 21
LCC (45)
Luchini 2 0-0 6, Ahman 3 4-4 10, McDuffie 1 0-0 2, Taylor 0 0-0 0, Taflinger 3 1-2 8, George 2 0-0 4, Kingsbery 0 0-2 0, Allen 3 4-6 10, Mulcahy 2 0-2 5. Totals 16 9-16 45.
Van Wert (21)
Acquaviva 0 0-0 0, Keber 0 0-0 0, Kohn 0 0-2 0, A. Morrow 2 5-8 9, N. Morrow 0 0-0 0, Jones 0 0-0 0, Klinker 0 0-0 0, Mohr 0 0-0 0, Young 1 1-3 3, Gamble 3 3-4 9. Totals 6 9-17 21.
3-point field goals:
LCC 4 (Luchini 2, Taflinger, Mulcahy), Van Wert 0.
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