First Posted: 3/23/2015
Ottawa-Glandorf didn’t have a 15 point-per-game scorer.
The Titans didn’t have a girl in the eight-player rotation over 5-foot-9.
But what O-G did have was plenty of fire and passion for the game.
They skidded across the floor for loose balls. They sold out on defense and they continually boxed out bigger girls.
They also had plenty of athleticism, including five players who played on the O-G girls soccer team that finished as the state runner-up in the fall.
So while the Titans’ girls basketball didn’t win the Western Buckeye League championship, they finished the year with a sectional title, a district title, a regional title and a silver Division III state runner-up trophy.
Versailles held on for a 49-46 victory over O-G in the Division III state championship game Saturday at Ohio State.
Looking back, it was quite a ride a historic ride for the Titans. They became the first O-G girls basketball team to reach the state tournament.
That was coming off a soccer season when the Titans became the first soccer team from the area, girls or boys, to reach the state championship game.
O-G coach Troy Yant admitted going “easy” on his club in the shortened preseason, as he felt his team had tired legs coming out of soccer.
The Titans started the year 3-0.
But in the WBL opener at Bath, the Wildkittens completely ran over O-G, 66-35. The game was never that close.
“It was an embarrassing loss,” Yant said.
Added O-G’s Danielle Schroeder, “The Bath game was a wake-up call.”
That loss turned out to be the springboard for the Titans working hard on their trademark defense.
While the offense came around, O-G threw its heart and soul into a scrappy man-to-man press and in-your-face halfcourt man.
Before the loss in the state championship game, O-G had put together a 20-game winning streak.
For the Titans’ first six tournament games, O-G averaged 52 points and gave up only 31.
The theory was simple: Suffocate the other team’s offense with a run-and-press style. That would create turnovers, which would ignite the offense.
In the 43-20 regional semifinal win over Archbold, O-G forced 34 turnovers. In the 43-30 regional finals win over North Union, it forced 22 turnovers.
And in the 55-27 state semifinal win over Proctorville Fairland, the Titans forced another 17 turnovers.
Elissa Ellerbrock (12.3 ppg) was the offensive leader, as she will play at Gannon University. Her sister, Dani Ellerbrock, flew around both ends of the floor and scored 5.6 points, while handing out numerous key assists.
Kylie White (7.2), Danielle Schroeder (7.3), Erin Basinger (7.4), Anna Bellman (4.5), Lexi Schroeder and freshman Kadie Hempfling all played key roles in the press, as well as in the offense.
The problem of not having a player over 5-9 finally arose against a much taller and athletic Versailles squad that featured 6-2 Christa Puthoff (Findlay for basketball), 6-1 Lauren Bruns (Dayton for volleyball) and 5-10 Taylor Winner (UNOH for volleyball).
Versailles blocked 10 shots, including two by Winner in the final 13 seconds. When Schroeder missed a 3-pointer with just under a second left, Versailles had its second girls basketball state championship.
Bruns was a leaping machine and finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
“We’re not studs,” Bruns said. “We’re not going to play Division I basketball. We’re just out there having fun.”
The same can be said of Ottawa-Glandorf.
The Titans made history and had plenty of fun along the way.
