First Posted: 2/17/2015
BATH TOWNSHIP — Sometimes even a coach can sit back and be impressed.
With Bath’s seniors playing their final home game against a Fort Loramie team ranked 10th in the Division IV state poll, the Wildkittens shook off a sluggish start and the Redskins for a 54-46 win in a non-league girls game Tuesday.
“This team continues to amaze me,” Bath coach Greg Mauk said. “They know how to bring it every night and that’s because they bring it every night in practice and that prepares them for when things don’t go their way on game night.”
Bath (20-1, ranked sixth in Div. II) started the game uncharacteristically, with three turnovers on its first five possessions — a sloppy beginning both Mauk and senior forward Bri Smith attributed to the final home game emotions.
But even when the Wildkittens calmed down, Fort Loramie went nowhere in a fiercely contested game. With 1:23 remaining in the half, however, Bath got a big possession by holding the ball until the last few seconds before Maddie Dackin drove the lane, hit a bucket and sunk an ensuing foul shot.
“That was really big,” Mauk said. “Things were teetering back-and-forth. We took that last possession and we decided we were going to show them we were in control … and that was a big momentum-getter at the end of that quarter.”
While the Wildkittens held a slight lead most of the second half, the Redskins (18-3) tied it three times in the half – in the third at 26-26 early, then at 2:02 at 33-33 then at the 4:14 mark of the fourth at 41-41. Much of that was because junior forward Jessica Boerger scored 16 of her 18 points in the half.
But each time Fort Loramie caught up, Bath found a key bucket to grab back momentum. Twice in the fourth quarter when things got tight, Smith drilled a 3-pointer for some breathing room and in the final 1:31, Bath made 8-of-11 free throws.
Smith finished 4-of-4 from behind the arc for 14 points.
“This was a great game to play because it relates to how tournament games are going to be,” Smith said. “It really motivated us and we’re going to be confident going in.”
Dackin finished with a game-high 20 points while Alyssa Manley scored 14 points for Bath.
“Bri Smith is a knock-down shooter and Alyssa is a tiger,” Mauk said. “She’s going to make sure the right things get done on the floor when the team needs it. She’s a real point guard. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a kid who is that good in all facets of the game as a point guard, and she fits the bill.”
Bath, which has already clinched a share of its fifth-straight WBL title, can win the league crown outright Thursday at Elida. The Wildkittens then travel to take on Division I Perrysburg on Saturday to finish the regular season.
