By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
PETTISVILLE (December 11, 2023) – It’s almost a given that Pettisville’s Jason Waldvogel will credit his defense to winning as much as the Pittsburgh Steelers did in their multiple Super Bowl title days of the Iron Curtain.
Against Delta though, the Blackbirds rode 63 percent shooting from the field in the second half and finish the game on a 13-2 run to take down the Panthers 49-38. Pettisville is now 4-2 on the year while Delta suffered their first loss after three wins.
“The biggest change we made in the second half really was our defense,” Waldvogel maintained. However, the longtime Blackbird mentor admitted his girls were really good on the offensive end as well.
“I’ll take that any day shooting that percentage. I wasn’t aware it was that good but sometimes when you play well defensively and shut people down you are more confident on offense.”
The Panthers took and 8-7 lead after the first when Olivia Smith took an Ella Demaline feed in the post to score with 19 seconds left in the quarter.
Grace Munger’s stop and go moves maintained a one-point lead two different times in the second, the latter with 4:46 left to put the Panthers up 14-12.
To that point the Blackbirds’ Olivia Miller had been a ghost in the wind, but the Birds junior floor leader came to life the rest of the half dishing off to Amanda Grimm for a tying bucket, then scoring herself on an inbounds play to give Pettisville a 16-14 lead.
After Munger scoring again on another drive, Miller split a pair from the stripe, Becca Strauss went 2/2 and Miller putback her own miss at the second quarter buzzer to boost Pettisville up 21-16.
That lead grew to 23-16 when Hollyn Klopfenstein drove the lane 42 ticks into the third, but the Panthers roared back behind senior Katie Friess.
Friess nailed a leaning triple from the right wing, Smith scored on a stick back, Munger got loose on the baseline for two and Friess finished a 9-0 run with a foul line jumper to give push the Panthers back up front at 25-23 with 4:37 left in the third.
Grimm got loose in the key to tie but Friess hit both of a two shot foul to regain a Panther lead. Grimm split from the stripe and then Strauss scored off a third chance rebound and Pettisville never trailed again, retaking a 28-27 lead.
Strauss knocked down two more shots from midrange and Grimm scored a fast break hoop from Kelsie Bennett to help increase the Blackbird margin to 34-31 entering the fourth.
“They made a run at us in the third and Amanda Grimm and Becca Strauss stepped up for us,” Waldvogel said of the burst that pushed Pettisville back up.
“Every game it takes more than one stepping up. Olivia makes everyone better and she is quiet the way she does it, but Becca and Amanda found the open spots and hit shots. That’s big and that’s the maturity showing in everyone right now making plays.”
Munger bagged a big one from way above the arc to start the fourth to bring Delta even 25 seconds in. Miller scored on a steal, but Smith answered to keep the Panthers even with 5:21 left.
From that point the Panthers went stone cold, and the Blackbirds stayed hot with Miller leading the way. Klopfenstein hit a pair from the line to give Pettisville a lead that kept growing the rest of the way.
Miller hit a turnaround baseline jumper then another from the wing to make it 42-36.”Olivia is our floor captain and we turn to her for those kinds of things,” Waldvogel explained. “She steps up in key situations.”
Abbey Todd’s basket shaved the margin to four for a moment, but Miller scored on an out of bounds play on a wide open lay in and the Blackbirds canned 5/6 from the line in the final minute to ice it.
Miller scored 10 of her game high 18 in the fourth quarter. Strauss and Grimm each added 10.
After starting 3/10 in the first quarter, the Blackbirds hit 15/25 the rest of the way, including 10/16 in the second half.
Munger led Delta with 13 while Smith had 10. The Panthers shot 16/45 from the field.
DELTA (38) – Demaline 2; Munger 13; Todd 2; Kruger 0; Friess 7; Haas 2; Sprow 2; Lamb 0; Gillen 0; Smith 0; Totals: 14-2-4 – 38
PETTISVILLE (49) – Strauss 10; Klopfenstein 6; Bennett 2; Grimm 10; G. Remington 0; M. Remington 3; Miller 18; Wiemken 0; Totals: 17-1-12 – 49
DELTA 8 8 15 7 – 38
PETTISVILLE 7 14 13 15 – 49
JUNIOR VARSITY: Delta, 24-19
GAME STATISTICS
DELTA: FG – 16/45 (35%); FT – 4/7 (57%); Rebounds – 24; Turnovers 5; PETTISVILLE: FG – 18/35 (51%); FT – 12/18 (66%); Rebounds – 44; Turnovers – 21
