(January 9th, 2015) – DELTA: In North Western Ohio Athletic League (NWOAL) action, Montpelier traveled to Delta to challenge the Lady Panthers on their home court.
It wasn’t meant to be, however, as the Lady Locos fell on the road 57-46.
Delta assumed a narrow lead in the first quarter, putting Montpelier behind 15-10. The Locomotive girls fought back in the second period, putting up 15 points of their own. Delta fell just short of matching that total, scoring 13 points of their own. Because of this, Montpelier found themselves down a mere 3 points heading into the locker room.
The Panther defense was ready for the Locos in the third period. The girls from Montpelier were limited to just 8 points in the quarter, while Delta remained consistent with 15 points in that same span. Suddenly in a 10 point deficit, Montpelier needed to find a way to shut down the potent Delta offense if they were to get back into the game. They couldn’t, however, and despite a strong quarter offensively for the Lady Locos, they still fell behind by another point as Delta took the period 14-13.
Hannah Blake was remarkable against the Lady Panthers. The junior star hit 3 shots from three-point range as she totaled 21 points for the travelers from Montpelier. Baylee Hageman, in her last year at Montpelier, produced a double-double in the contest with 12 points and 14 rebounds. The rest of the Locomotives struggled to score, though, as senior Breanna Stein was the next highes contributor with 5 points. Haley Suffel added 3 points to the Montpelier collective score, while Maddie Richmond and Rebekah Carr each put up 2 points.
The hometown Panthers also saw most of their scoring done by just two players. Yet the combination of Brigan Wymer and Morgan Mattimore proved to be even more lethal than Montpelier’s Blake and Hageman attack. Wymer scored 30 points against a solid Montpelier defense. Mattimore complimented her teammate with 21 more points, leaving the rest of the Delta squad with only 6 points in the contest.
The Locomotives played well defensively from the perimeter. A squad known for its long range shooting, Delta connected on just 3 shots from beyond the arc.
While Montpelier may have lost this game, they were competitive in their effort against a quality opponent. With an 0-3 record in the conference, the Locos still have plenty of team to earn a few NWOAL victories this season.