Paxton Stofcheck of North Union leaps for a layup after stealing the ball during a home game against the Lady Pioneers of Jonathan Alder. Stofcheck tallied seven points during the 59-45 victory. JA’s Peyton Mast is also pictured.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
––––
The Lady Cats of North Union have now found back-to-back wins, this time against former Mid Ohio Athletic Conference foe Jonathan Alder.
The Lady Cats cruised to a solid 59-45 win after a slow start on Tuesday.
The Lady Pioneers got on the board early with a three from Melissa Walborn, followed by a basket by Kenna Auff to take a five-point lead.
NU answered with a trey by Madison Amstutz.
Each team matched the other shot-for-shot as the first quarter came to a close. The Lady Pioneers had a slim 14-12 lead.
The second quarter was a different story as the Lady Cats tallied 16 points, while the Lady Pioneers notched only six.
Amstutz continued her success from beyond the arc to help the Cats, while Avery Clark worked the boards.
“We played a good first quarter,” said JA coach Steve Cawley. “We were right there and even had the lead. “Then in the second quarter, they just beat us on the boards. They would miss, we couldn’t get it and they would get two or three shots to put it in.”
North Union took a 28-20 lead after the half after an eight-point run to end the second quarter.
The Lady Pioneers attempted to step up the defensive pressure with a full-court press.
That helped lead to 19 turnovers for the Lady Cats, but JA struggled to find the bottom of the net or get the ball on the rebound.
“We didn’t box out,” said Cawley. “We let them control the backboard and that killed us. It got us in a hole and from there, it was just a tailspin.”
Clark continued to play strong on the glass, snaring 10 rebounds for the Cats.
Amstutz continued her push to 21 points with two points from the field and another three from the line.
“I think Maddi Amstutz is very good and I have always believed in her,” said NU coach Rachel Weaver. “I think over these last couple of games, she is starting to believe it herself. She has the athleticism and has all the tools. Now, she just needs to believe in it.”
The Cats’ offense pushed the score to 43-29 at the end of the third quarter.
North Union kept up its consistent offense churning n the final quarter to pick up 16 points and cruise to the easy win.
“It feels good (to get a solid win), especially this late in the season,” said Weaver. “There are some things I drew up that I feel we executed. There are some other things we’ve got to work on, but to be this late in the season and get a solid win like this gives me confidence going into a tournament run.”
The Lady Pioneers, feeling the pressure of the game coming to a close, pushed the tempo by pressuring the ball. The tactic paid off as JA tallied some points off turnovers.
However, the deficit was just too much to over come.
“We need that energy and emotion for a whole 32 minutes and not four minutes in the fourth quarter when you are down 20,” said Cowley. “We had it for eight minutes in the first quarter and four in the final quarter for a total of 12 minutes and this a 32-minute game.”
The Lady Pioneers slipped to 7-12 overall, while the Lady Cats jumped up to 12-6.
North Union will return to the court on Friday to take on Buckeye Valley. The Lady Pioneers will travel to Bellefontaine on Saturday to take on the Lady Chieftains in Central Buckeye Conference action.
NU- Amstutz 7-3-21, Clark 5-0-10, Blevins 3-3-9, Stofcheck 2-1-7, Day 3-0-6, Ruhl 1-2-4, Marvin 0-2-2
Three-point goals: Amstutz 4, Stofcheck 2
JA- Davis 4-5-13, Walborn 4-1-12, Auff 4-0-8, Bourghin 2-1-6, Jakse 2-0-4, Bushong 0-1-1, Mast 0-1-1
Three-point goals: Walborn 3, Bourghin 1