Rams push 1st-place Tigers but fall short

ATTICA — Upper Sandusky had first-place Seneca East on the ropes on its home court, but the Tigers buckled down on defense in the fourth quarter and remained unbeaten in Northern 10 Athletic Conference girls basketball play with a 50-41 victory Tuesday night.

The Rams led by as many as five in the third quarter and took a three-point lead into the fourth but scored only four free throws over the final eight minutes.

Alexis Fogle scored all 13 of her points in the first half, and Maddie McLaughlin posted all 11 of hers after halftime to lead Upper Sandusky (10-7, 8-4 N10).

“They had their heads down in the locker room a little,” Upper Sandusky coach Jerry Vent said.

“They need to be so proud of themselves right now for the effort they gave.”

Alexis Hicks was just shy of a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Caylin Quiggle did reach the mark with 12 points and 10 boards for Seneca East (17-1, 13-0 N10).

Down 27-22 early in the third quarter, the Rams went on a 13-3 run to take a 35-30 lead late in the period.

An Alivia Oney 3-pointer was the first basket in a 7-0 run during that stretch and it gave the Rams a 31-30 lead.

Consecutive Fogle steals led to fast break baskets by Jenna Kurtz and McLaughlin, and Upper Sandusky was up by five.

“We kind of expected that,” Seneca East coach Don Vogt said.

“Upper Sandusky is a quality team and they’ve got a good coach, and I knew they would come in here fired up, especially after the first time we played them. I’m sure that left a sour taste in their mouth. They came out ready. We responded well to that.”

Marina Adachi hit a corner 3-pointer to knot the game at 37 to start the fourth quarter, and after two McLaughlin free throws, Hicks scored a basket inside to tie the game again.

Adachi hit a short jumper after a Hicks offensive rebound on the next possession, putting Seneca East up for good.

Hicks added two more baskets, and Jessica Bowerman connected on a 3-pointer to cap an 11-0 run by the Tigers that put them comfortably ahead by nine with three minutes to go.

“We just kind of ran out of gas there a little bit,” Vent said.

“They beat us down the floor and got some easy layups. I’m super proud of the effort we gave to hang in there against a really, really good team.”

Upper Sandusky was 0 for 7 from the floor in the fourth quarter, while Seneca East was 6 of 9.

“I told the girls afterward that game is good for us because we have to weather storms,” Vogt said.

“I’m very proud of them for putting their foot down and accepting the challenge. They went out there and played some D, where we didn’t play in the first half.”

Attacking the basket, finishing at the rim and drawing fouls, Fogle scored nine points in the first quarter to help the Rams take a 13-11 lead, but the Tigers buckled down on her after that.

She scored four more points in the second quarter but none in the second half. Seneca East led 23-21 at halftime.

Seneca East leading scorers Bowerman and Adachi were held to 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Tigers played without freshman Emily Siesel.

“It all starts with our defense,” Vent said.

“We were phenomenal defensively. We gave up 16 maybe in the fourth quarter, but it’s their committment at that end that makes us be able to compete.”

Upper Sandusky got high-percentage looks inside the arc, going 13 of 22, but it made just 1 of 17 3-pointers in the game.

Seneca East shot 21 of 47 overall and committed 19 turnovers, including eight in the the third quarter but just one in the fourth.

Makenna Depinet’s 13 points led the Tigers’ junior varsity team to a 42-24 victory.

Savannah Kinley scored 8 points for Upper Sandusky.

The Rams host Mohawk at 6 p.m. Friday.

UPPER SANDUSKY (10-7, 8-4 N10): Fogle 3-7-13, McLaughlin 4-3-11, Oney 2-1-6, Kurtz 3-0-6, Ward 2-1-5.

Totals 14-39 12-16 41.

SENECA EAST (17-1, 13-0 N10): Hicks 7-2-16, Quiggle 6-0-12, Bowerman 4-1-11, Adachi 4-0-10, Fritz 0-1-1.

Totals 21-47 4-8 50.

3-point goals: Bowerman 2, Adachi 2, Oney.

Score by quarters

Upper Sandusky          13        8          16        4          — 41

Seneca East    11        12        11        16        — 50

Junior varsity: Seneca East 42-24.

By LONNIE McMILLAN
Sports editor