The Hawks traveled south to Hancock County Saturday to visit the Vanlue Wildcats. Vanlue may be the smallest school MV will face – 250 students in K-12, housed in an historical 1923 building which has been remarkably well maintained.
Vanlue’s gym is a unique affair – auditorium style seating for about 300 with a raised platform gym floor/stage combo. And why not – the Wildcats are well known for their athletic and musical talent. Just look at this video of a Wildcats boys’ game. What great school spirit!
Ah, lame humor...there’s nothing like it. Anyway check out the video for some views of their gym.
Game summary
Maumee Valley ended up on the wrong end of a 42-40 score against Vanlue. The Hawks were down by four with 12 seconds to go and clawed back to have a shot at the win but fell short at the buzzer. Notwithstanding the loss, the team is progressing rapidly.
Starting five: Kristin Bigelow (‘12), Delaney Lonsway (‘12), Jazmine Aldridge-Brownlee (‘12), Genna Danes (‘12) and Yazmine AbdulKarim (‘11)
First quarter – MV 13 – Vanlue 8
Vanlue started the game in a press defense. The Hawks were ready. Delaney started the scoring out for the Hawks with a two pointer at the 7:18 mark, then a quick two pointer by Yazmine and a three-ball by Genna got MV off and running. At the 4:34 mark, Genna pulled two offensive rebounds, made a basket and drew a foul. The Wildcats’ coach had seen enough and called timeout.
Vanlue came back on the strength of strong outside shooting, but at the same time was getting into foul trouble. Maumee Valley was in the bonus with 2:56 remaining in the first quarter. With the clock reading 2:28, Kristin made a two pointer against the press. Vanlue had seen enough and called off the pressure.
The final highlight of the quarter was a top-of-the-key steal by Delaney, who crossed up her defender with the dribble and went coast to coast for a layup.
It may have been the best overall quarter of basketball by the girls to date – a strong showing against a quality opponent.
Second Quarter – Vanlue 12 – Maumee Valley 7
Starting five – I didn't write it down, so sue me.
While MV owned a quickness advantage, Vanlue had height on its side. The Wildcats began working the ball inside and the Hawks experienced foul trouble of their own. Yazmine and Kristin were charged with their third and second fouls, respectively early on in the quarter. Jordan Baker came into the game and play was back and forth. Vanlue was still in a man defense which the Hawks continued to exploit with drives to the basket like this one by Kristin.
Vanlue switched to a 2-3 zone and continued to pound the ball inside. Still, the Kristin was effective drawing fouls on the hosts.
At quarter end, Vanlue had tied the game 20-20.
Third quarter – Vanlue 13 – MV 9
Starting five – original game starters
Yazmine hit a 3 to start the second half for MV, but Vanlue answered right back. The Wildcats’ zone continued to frustrate MV who was still learning their zone offense. But there were some highlights, including a Genna two pointer from the high post and a Kristin driving basket in the lane. Jordan and Karla Luketic saw considerable action in the third quarter along the front line.
Vanlue looked like it was about to pull away, but the Hawks kept driving the basket, causing four of the Wildcats to have four fouls late in the third. With about 45 seconds left in the quarter, the hosts pulled three of their starting five and began a slowdown offense. At the end of three it was Vanlue 33 – MV 29, but signs of life still remained.
Fourth quarter – MV 11 – Vanlue 9
Starting five – Jasmine, Genna, Jordan, Kristin, Delaney
The teams started out tentatively, both realizing they had a game on their hands. Vanlue remained in their slowdown offense, but the Hawks began picking off passes. Genna pulled MV to 33-32 at 6:37 with a three pointer.
The teams went back and forth, and Vanlue hit a basket +1 at the 5:02 mark to go back up four. Again the Hawks came back and with about two minutes to play, Kristin responded with a driving two pointer to give MV the lead by one.
The lead would change three more times and with 55 seconds remaining, Vanlue stole the ball and scored to go up 41-38.
MV started to foul and the strategy got the Hawks back in the game. Down four with 12 seconds left, Vanlue itself fouled Kristin who made two free throws. The Blue and White fouled again. Vanlue missed on the 1-and-1 try, Jasmine pulled the rebound and the coaches called a last timeout to draw up a play with 0:07 remaining. The Hawks drove the court for the win, but the last shot missed and the hosts breathed a sigh of relief as they hung on for a two point win.
Scoring – Kristin 22, Genna 10, Delaney 5, Yazmine 3
A personal highlight for Number 20…
Understandably, I couldn’t get anyone on camera for the post game, but as we were leaving, upon reflection Kristin’s spirits brightened considerably as she recalled the game. Her revelation - ‘That’s the first time in my life I had a game with no turnovers!’ A good takeaway for the game.
Final Game Thoughts
Painful as the result was, there were more than a few victories to be had from the game today. If I were to tell you that a decision to put a press on against Maumee Valley almost proved disastrous for an opponent, you might not believe me. If I were to tell you that the MV girls took the play to an opponent and caused the majority of their starting five to foul out, you might not believe me. Finally, if I were to tell you that after being down by four with twelve seconds to play, the girls just missed winning at the buzzer, again you might not believe me.
The meat of the TAAC season begins for the girls this week with games against Ottawa Hills and Toledo Christian. There may be some tough games ahead, but the team is clearly headed in the right direction – on the figurative road to improvement. The girls deserve our support; it’s worth the effort to come out and cheer them on.
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