(February 28th, 2015) – BRYAN: Defense has been the name of the game for Pettisville throughout their historic season, which saw the Blackbird girls set a new record for the best win-loss mark in school history. They decided to carry this philosophy with them into the post-season as well.
Pettisville bested Antwerp in the Sectional Finals 41-13 to advance to Districts.
The Lady Archers were unable to produce a single point in the first quarter due to the intensity of the Lady Blackbird defense. Pettisville would not be able to keep their Green Meadows Conference opponent off the board in the second period, however, as Antwerp actually outscored the Blackbirds 7-5 in the quarter. Still, the girls from Pettisville held on to a 14-7 lead as they jogged to the locker room.
It was the third frame that put this contest out of contention. The Blackbirds dominated the period on both ends of the floor, scoring 19 points while holding the Lady Archers to just 4. After that, the fourth quarter was little more than a formality, with Pettisville expanding their lead thanks to an 8-2 effort. This secured the 28 point victory for the Buckeye Border Conference champions.
Pettisville Coach Jason Waldvogel singled out the efforts of Jordyn Pursel, Andi Aechliman, and Alexa Leppelmeier on the defensive end of the court as vital to the Pettisville victory effort. The trio prevented Antwerp scorer Peyton Short from getting her usual number of touches in the game.
Mikala Avina was the contest’s high scorer. The scrappy senior guard connected on a trio of threes to propel her total to 17 points. Classmate Dana Fricke was close behind, controlling the paint to earn 14 points. Pursel, also in her last year, did some work offensively as well, scoring 6 points in the win.