MT. ORAB — Host Western Brown used a 7-0 fourth-quarter run to force overtime and then ran away from Wilmington in the extra session for a 55-51 Southern Buckeye Conference American Division victory Thursday.
Cayla Enzweiler’s jumper just inside the arc with :04 left knotted the score at 44-44.
Sophie Huffman’s three-quarter-court heave at the end of regulation grazed the bottom of the net.
Western Brown (2-1, 2-0) never trailed in overtime. Enzweiler gave the Broncos the lead for good with a three at the 2:19 mark that broke a 46-all deadlock.
“Turnovers,” WHS head coach Zach Williams said were the difference down the stretch. “We had way too many. We talked before the game to play quick but don’t be in a hurry. We played hurried. When you play hurried you’re going to make those mistakes.
“They’re young. They’re going to learn from it. This is going to make them a better team.”
Western Brown’s Olivia Fischer led all scorers with 19 points. She scored all 11 of the Broncos’ third-quarter points and four straight to put Western Brown up 53-46 with :25 to go in OT.
Baylee Jones joined her in double-figures with 15, including eight in the fourth quarter.
Maura Drake led the Hurricane (1-2, 0-1) with 18. Teammates Katie Murphy and Huffman joined Drake in double-digits with 11 and 10, respectively.
“This is probably the best performance of her career so far,” Williams said about Drake. “She has busted her butt in practice every day to get better. It’s playing off for her.
“She finished, hit her free throws, rebounded, blocked shots. She did exactly what we wanted to do. I’m very pleased with her effort.”
It was a game of runs all night with Western Brown scoring the first five points of the game. Wilmington scored the next 10. The Broncos scored the next five.
The Hurricane scored 11 straight in the third quarter to lead 32-24 at the 2:11 mark of the period. However, Fischer converted a steal for a bucket and dialed long-distance in the final 34 seconds of the third to pull the Broncos within 32-30 of Wilmington heading to the fourth quarter.
SUMMARY
Dec 3, 2020
@Western Brown High School
Western Brown 55, Wilmington 51
WI^11^8^13^12^7^^51
WB^10^9^11^14^11^55
(51) WILMINGTON (fg-ft-tp) Diels 2-1-5, Huffman 4-1-10, Johns 1-0-3, Drake 7-4-18, Murphy 3-3-11, Robinson 1-2-4, Noszka 0-0-0. Total 18-11-51. 3-point goals: 4 (Murphy 2, Johns, Huffman). FTM-FTA, 11-17, 65 percent.
(55) WESTERN BROWN (fg-ft-tp) Flischel 3-1-7, Tull 1-0-2, Akers 1-1-3, Jones 6-1-15, Fischer 7-4-19, Foster 0-2-2, Enzweiler 2-2-7. Total 20-11-55. 3-point goals: 4 (Jones 2, Fischer, Enzweiler). FTM-FTA 11-17, 65 percent.
