Central District Division V
No. 4 Amanda-Clearcreek 50, No. 6 Pleadant 37
AMANDA — Amanda-Clearcreek took control in the third quarter to advance with a 50-37 win over Pleasant in the Central District Division V tournament Friday night.
After struggling for a win in the final weeks of the regular season, getting a victory in the tournament opener was a little extra special.
“This team has been through so much – losing five in-a-row and then we’ve had multiple issues with sickness and injuries and, obviously, we lost Hayden (Plank). This team has been through a lot,” coach Tim Leist said. “We challenged them all week. We told them after Logan Elm that you’re down but you’re not out.”
The Aces held a 20-18 lead at the half and Pleasant got the first score of the third to tie the game.
Gavyn Sowers had the next two baskets for the Aces.
After a pair of Pleasant free throws, Kaylie Wilson scored, Taylor Evans hit a pair of free throws, Sowers added two free throws and then Evans hit a three to put the Aces up 33-22.
The period came to a close with AC leading 37-25.
“The difference was we took care of the ball in the second half,” Leist said. “We got a little erratic in the first half and once we settled down and took care of it in the second half, that’s where we took control of the game.”
Evans and Sowers had the first two scores of the fourth to extend AC’s lead to 42-25.
While the Spartans did their best to get back in the game, AC went 8-10 at the line in the final three minutes to advance to Wednesday’s Central District Semifinal at No. 2 North Union (a 59-34 winner over Northmor).
“That’s a thing we’ve done well,” Leist said of the team’s free throw shooting. “We haven’t shot the ball as well as I feel we could have, but we’ve shot free throws well. That was huge in a game like this.”
AC had a balanced attack Friday with Evans scoring 13, Sowers and Abbie Leist 10 each and Allie Leist had nine.
That balance also carried over to the rebounding battle where AC had a 34-22 edge and Makenna Singleton, Allie Leist, Sowers and Evans led the team with five each.
“That was a big concern we had coming in with their length that they would get rebounds. I thought we did a good job handling the boards,” coach Leist said.
Brooklin Davis led Pleasant with 13 points.
The No. 4 seed Aces and the second-seeded Wildcats will tip off at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Amanda-Clearcreek 50, Pleasant 37
Pleasant — Taydon Obenour 1-2-5, Mary Aurigemma 2-2-6, Avah Steele 3-0-7, Ady Foster 1-1-3, Brooklin Davis 5-1-13, Maddie Murphy 1-0-3. Three-point goals — Obenour, Steele, Davis (2), Murphy. Totals — 13-40 6-11 37.
Amanda-Clearcreek — Makenna Singleton 1-0-2, Allie Leist 3-2-9, Gavyn Sowers 3-3-10, Taylor Evans 3-6-13, Kaylie Wilson 2-1-6, Abbie Leist 4-2-10. Three-point goals — Al Leist, Sowers, Evans, Wilson. Totals— 16-41 14-19 50.
Quarter scores 1 2 3 4 F
Pleasant 10 8 7 12 37
Amanda-Clearcreek 11 9 17 13 50
Logan Elm 64, Zane Trace 60, OT (boys)
Quarter scores 1 2 3 4 OT F
Logan Elm 18 9 12 15 10 64
Zane Trace 16 7 14 17 6 60