Delta’s Maddie Mattimore had a simple one-word response to explain her team’s performance and her own as well when she scored 26 points to lead her Panthers over the Elmwood Royals 55-44 in the first round of the DIII Girls’ Sectional Tournament at Springfield High School on the Tuesday evening of February 21. “Confidence,” she said. “We were a little hesitant because of their height advantage but we played with a lot of heart.”
At the 4:00 minute mark of the first quarter, Mattimore knocked down her second three-pointer of the game to give Delta a 9-7 lead and the Panthers never trailed again in the win over their Northern Buckeye Conference opponent.
She returned on Thursday evening and dropped 21 points to defeat the Woodmore Wildcats 55-50 in overtime to capture the Sectional title.
“We have great confidence in Maddie,” said Delta coach Ryan Repke. “She hits clutch free throws down the stretch. She’s been playing very well the last two weeks.
The Panthers will now face NWOAL opponent Evergreen on Thursday, March 2, at 6:15 pm in the District semis at Lake High School.
Bill O’Connell may be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com