(PHOTOS BY RACHEL NAGEL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
MOVING ON … Delta’s Kendall Sprow gets free for a shot in the Panthers 47-42 sectional final win over Bluffton.
LEADING THE RALLY … Abbey Todd handles the ball in the first half versus Bluffton. Todd scored 16 of her 19 points in the second half as Delta rallied for a 47-42 win.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
DELTA (February 13, 2025) – After shooting 6/31 in the first half, and down 27-18 with 6:40 left in the third, it looked as if Delta’s outstanding season was about to be over.
However, the Panthers had one more magic trick left in the bag, as they outscored Bluffton 29-15 the rest of the night to chalk up a 47-42 Division V sectional title win.
“We just got more in rhythm as a group, playing our basketball,” Delta coach Kelsey Gillen said of the Panthers second half comeback.
“They wanted to slow it down and that got in our heads in the first half. We got out of our rhythm and just weren’t ready to get after it.” “They didn’t wake up until that second half.”
Bluffton led 16-10 after the first as Gracie Warren drilled a pair of triples, one a line drive bank off glass with 30 seconds left that put the Pirates up 16-9.
Delta shot just 4/12 in the first quarter, and that figure would get even worse in the second.
Anna Lohman hit consecutive hoops in the first two minutes to slice the Bluffton lead to 16-14, but from there, Delta missed their last 15 shots of the quarter.
Luckily for the Panthers, the Pirates were just as frigid, going 1/9, as Blair Utendorf’s basket was the only Bluffton field goal on the way to a 22-14 halftime lead.
Lohman and Abbey Todd got layups within eight seconds of each other in the first 30 seconds of the third to cut the Bluffton lead in half, but two Maelee Miller buckets restored a gap of 27-18.
The just that fast, the switch flipped defensively as the Panthers would turn the Pirates over seven times in the third, and outscored Bluffton 12-2.
“We had to pick up our defensive intensity since they wanted to slow it down,” Gillen said of the turnover fueled run. “We extended farther out with our pressure. It helped us get the pace we wanted.”
Todd hit a triple from the head of the circle, Lohman canned two free throws then found Kendall Sprow on a back cut, Todd had a steal and score, then Sprow nailed a corner three-ball to give Delta the lead at the end of the third at 30-29.
Utendorf hit a three-pointer to force a 32-all tie but Todd answered 14 seconds later to give Delta the lead with 4:58 left.
Todd again tripled with 2:52 left to give the Panthers a 40-36 lead. Bluffton came right back with two scores, the second from Utendorf at the 1:00 mark to tie the game.
One more time Todd loaded up from long range, and one last time the junior guard hit the mark with 50 ticks left to give Delta the lead for good.
“She has hit big shots for us all season,” Gillen exclaimed. “Her driving ability lately has helped create some of those open three’s and tonight she really hit them when we needed them.”
Ayla Grandey’s third chance putback with 29.6 to go got Bluffton within 43-42, and after a Panther turnover, Miller had a chance to give Bluffton the lead but her contested shot from in the key bounced off the front rim.
After a series of fouls, Keagyn Gillen nailed 2/2 from the stripe to make it 45-42 with 11 seconds left and Sprow’s bucket after the last of Bluffton’s 21 turnovers on the night iced it.
After their ice-cold first half, Delta hit 12/23 in the second. Todd got 16 of her 19 in the second half while Lohman and Sprow each tacked on 12. Utendorf had 14 and Grandey 11 for Bluffton (13-10).
Delta (19-2) will play in a district semifinal at Defiance on Wednesday night against Paulding (18-5), who scored a 53-40 win over Archbold.
BLUFFTON (42) – Miller 6; Dearth 0; Schweingruber 1; Warren 8; Schadt 2; Utendorf 14; L. Grandey 0; A. Grandey 11; Totals: 13-3-7 – 42
DELTA (47) – Lohman 12; Todd 19; Friess 0; Sprow 12; Wyse 0; Gillen 4; Totals: 12-6-5 – 47
BHS 16 6 7 13 – 42
DHS 10 4 16 17 – 47