By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
DELTA (January 16, 2024) – Offense was a far piece from grade A when Evergreen and Delta hooked up for round two in their home and home series this season.
Shooting percentages were as frigid as a Toledo 11 Alert Day and there were as many turnovers as Panera’s could produce in a day.
However, Delta found the net enough to manufacture a 10-0 fourth quarter run to open up a tight game and beat Evergreen 35-24.
“We have been struggling all season offensively, we are hit and miss,” Panther coach Kelsey Gillen expressed after.
“When we settle in and take care of the ball, we can have runs like that. Thankfully we had one and we were able to pull ahead.”
The afore mentioned deficiencies were apparent immediately as the Vikings pressure forced 11 Panther first quarter miscues but 0-10 shooting from the field as much as cancelled out their stifling defense.
Evergreen hung in thanks to 6/8 free throw shooting to offset an Abbey Todd triple and Olivia Smith’s four points to trail 7-6.
Addy Ricker’s corner jumper gave Evergreen the lead 44 seconds into the second, but the Panthers threw a counter punch when Smith scored on a third try putback and Kendall Sprow’s steal and score.
Evergreen came back to take a 12-11 halftime lead on Ricker’s bank from the wing. In all, in the first half the teams combined to shoot 6/38 and had 29 turnovers.
The ice-cold shooting continued in the second half as the first field goal of the third came with 2:05 to go in the third when Grace Munger nailed a triple off the right wing that put Delta up for keeps at 14-13. Sprow’s third chance stick back with 3.4 left in the quarter made it 18-15 heading into the fourth.
Brooke Sintobin’s swipe and swoop to the rim 10 seconds into the fourth got Evergreen back to within 18-17 but that was as close as Evergreen would come.
Munger’s transition hoop six seconds later began a run of 10 straight Panthers points over the next three minutes.
Munger stuck a corner triple, then the Panthers took advantage of their control of the glass when Katie Friess scored on a fourth attempt and Smith putback a Panther miss with five minutes left to put Delta up 28-17.
Kyla Risner’s three-pointer and Kennedy Emmitt’s score off a Delta turnover sliced the margin to 28-22 but Munger stopped the rally when in the midst of her nine fourth quarter points, the lanky senior muscled in what turned out to be a three-point play with 1:29 to go to make it 31-22.
“She had strep and was out most of last week,” Gillen said of her normally high scoring wing. “She was a little slow to begin with because she only had one practice last week, so it took her a little time to get back in the groove but when she hit it she led us.”
Munger led the Panthers with 12, all in the second half. Ricker had 10 to pace the Vikings.
Delta finished 11/46 (23%) from the field, had 29 turnovers but held a huge 42-27 edge on the glass. Evergreen shot 6/44 (13%) and had 22 turnovers.
EVERGREEN (24) – Risner 3; Br. Sintobin 3; Hoffman 0; A. Emmitt 0; Vaculik 0; K. Emmitt 5; Lumbrezer 3; Burgermeister 0; Manz 0; Ricker 10; Totals: 5-1-11 – 24
DELTA (35) -Munger 12; Todd 3; Friess 2; Haas 1; Sprow 7; Lamb 2; Gillen 0; Smith 8; Totals: 10-3-6 – 35
EVERGREEN 6 6 3 9 – 24
DELTA 7 4 7 17 – 35
JUNIOR VARSITY: Evergreen 25, Delta 17