
The home finale took some effort.
Bellefontaine’s girls basketball squad closed out the home portion of its 2024-25 schedule Monday, with a 42-37 win over Indian Lake in Central Buckeye Conference crossover play.
The contest was full of defensive pressure and plenty of whistles, with neither side able to get very far in front.
Indian Lake had the advantage out of the gate, but the Lady Chieftains worked their way back and had a small lead at the break. They maintained that through the rest of the contest.
Both teams are 12-8 on the season.
Quin Zedeker of Bellefontaine led all scorers with 18 points on the night, while Tiffany Boop had 10 and Emma Whitaker had seven.
“We got to the game late, apparently, but they picked it up,” said Bellefontaine coach Meghan Ashcraft. “And we got some sparks off our bench (from) Shawna Burnell and Emma Whitaker that helped us pick up that intensity on defense.”
She added that the team’s seniors helped protect the lead in the second half.
The Chieftains were also able to create pressure and disrupt Indian Lake’s flow when bringing the ball down the court. “That was the idea,” said Ashcraft, “because we knew if we pressured them, we could get some turnovers out of that. We need to do a better job of going for the actual press, meaning steal the ball, instead of just trying to slow them down and tie it up.”
For Indian Lake, Carly Strayer and Mackenzie Dixon each had 12 points. Strayer also had 14 rebounds. Kennedy Schwaderer had seven points and four assists.
Lakers coach Yasmyn Inskeep said that team started off well at both ends. “And then second quarter they went zone, and we struggled a little bit to get the ball inside, and then we didn’t shoot outside very well tonight.”
“I’m proud of the fight,” she added. “We cut to two there, had a chance to take the lead, missed a couple shots, and didn’t get defensive rebounds.”
Schwaderer hit a three-pointer to open the game for Indian Lake, with Laila Butler getting a basket in response.
From there, Indian Lake went on a 8-0 run, which included a score by Courtney Altstaetter and a three-point play by Strayer near the midpoint of the period.
Burnell hit a jumper with 2:24 to go breaking the drought for Bellefontaine. After a score by Strayer, Bellefontaine would cut the lead down with a score by Whitaker, a free throw by Burnell and a three-ball by Boop. Indian Lake was still up 13-10.
Dickson drew a couple of fouls early in the second quarter, and made three out of the four shots to stretch the gap.
But a layup by Boop was followed by a three from Zedeker, making it 16-15 with 3:40 to go.
Altstaetter got what would be the Lakers’ only shot from the floor in the period. Whitaker drained a three to tie it, then Burnell sank a shot as time expired to put Bellefontaine ahead for the first time.
The teams exchanged scores after about a minute of play in the third quarter. Zedeker then made a pair of shots from short range, with a free throw by Boop in between, giving Bellefontaine a 28-20 edge.
Indian Lake’s points in the remainder of the quarter would all come on free throws by Dixon and Strayer, helping keep them in range.
With 18 seconds to go, Butler was knocked down trying to defend in the paint. She was able to eventually get up and head to the locker room.
Once again, Bellefontaine got a last-second shot. This was a three launched by Zedeker near the top of the arc. It hit nothing but net to make it 32-25.
The Lakers kept pushing back. A three by Dixon and a two by Strayer cut the lead to two points with six minutes left.
Zedeker hit a layup, then got three of four free throws over the next couple of minutes.
With the Chieftains ahead 39-34, Schwaderer connected from long distance with 1:04 to play
But that would be their final points. Meanwhile, Boop got a rebound and putback after missing two foul shots, then added another free throw to account for the final margin.
In the junior varsity contest, Bellefontaine won 30-18. Burnell had 13 points and Whitaker seven for the hosts. Indian Lake got eight points by Haley Metzger.
Bellefontaine (6-3 CBC, 12-8) is at Jonathan Alder Wednesday, then on the road at Kenton Saturday afternoon.
Indian Lake (6-3 CBC, 12-8) hosts Benjamin Logan Wednesday and faces Jackson Center Saturday.
