The Cardington-Lincoln girls’ basketball team (13-9, 8-4) had a 2-1 week, highlighted by a double-overtime win on the road against Buckeye Central on Feb. 8.
Cardington-Lincoln 47, Buckeye Central 45
Down 2-0, Magi Hallabrin got the scoring started for the Pirates on a fast break layup coming off a steal and assist by Abigail Hardwick. However, it was a tough quarter for Cardington-Lincoln, as they found themselves down 13-6.
In the second quarter, Hardwick came away with another steal, but the Pirates were down 21-11. Buckeye Central hit a three, but the tenacious defense continued by Hardwick with another steal. The Pirates added a bucket, but Buckeye Central was threatening near the hoop. That is when Jill Bertke came in and swatted away the shot to keep the deficit 11 points. Buckeye Central outscored Cardington-Lincoln 11-8 in the quarter, and at halftime it was a 24-14 lead for the Bucks.
“It was a very tough start to the game,” said Coach Kevin Fitzpatrick. “Buckeye Central came out very aggressive and we struggled in the first quarter. They did a great job of taking Abbi out of the game in the 1st half. Coach Loy had a great game plan and it worked early. BC made some early threes and we were behind again at the half.”
Fitzpatrick said that in the locker room the coaches discussed what needed to be done to turn things around. He said the goal was to change the tone of the game, and to be the aggressor.
The Pirates snapped out of it in the second half, starting with a 16-8 third quarter. At the beginning of the quarter, Madison Caulkins stole a pass leading to two straight baskets for the Pirates. They made it a 6-0 run when Hardwick scored on a fast break layup. With the score 26-21, Hardwick launched a three and made it a two point deficit. In the final seconds of the quarter, Kinstin Henthorn stole the ball and took it to the make it a 32-30 game, with Bucks still leading.
“We started out by trapping the ball and it helped us get some great opportunities to cut into the lead,” Fitzpatrick said. “We also ran some set plays to get our posts and Abbi some good looks. We started getting some easier shots and they started to fall. That quarter changed the game for us.”
Cardington-Lincoln edged out the Bucks in the fourth quarter with a 9-7 advantage to send the game to overtime. Both teams scored four points in the first overtime. In the second overtime, Bertke had a key block on a shot that would have tied the game at 45. The Pirates had four points and allowed only two, securing the nailbiter.
“The fourth and the two overtimes were just a great battle,” Fitzpatrick said. “It was so back and forth in that period. We would take the lead then they would fight back. All credit to them for that fight. We made just enough plays to get the job done.”
Hardwick was the top player for the Pirates, scoring 17 points and tallying eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Jill Bertke had 11 points, eight rebounds, one assist and three blocks. Caulkins had five points, six boards, two steals and an assist. Celia Hall had five assists and five steals.
“I was very proud of how my entire team stepped up and made some big plays on both ends,” Fitzpatrick said. “It was a great win for us heading into a break before we start the tournament on February 20th at home against Columbus School for Girls.”
Clear Fork 54, Cardington-Lincoln 38
The Pirates suffered a 53-38 loss to Clear Fork Feb. 6, in a game where the team trailed by 21 at the half and could never recover.
“The Clear Fork girls came out and got in our face early, and we didn’t handle it very well,” Fitzpatrick said. “We turned the ball over a lot and it got us in a big hole early. Coach Sellers does a great job so I knew it would be a tough game.”
They trailed 18-5 after one quarter and 32-11 at the half. The Pirates turned it around in the third quarter with a 17-13 advantage, but the Colts had a 10-9 fourth quarter and cruised to victory.
Fitzpatrick praised the effort of his squad despite the loss.
“We talked at the half about coming out and playing our scramble defense,” Fitzpatrick said. “We started to create some chances and worked on cutting the lead. We did a great job of continuing to fight and we got the lead all the way down to 12. It had ballooned to 25 or 26 in the third. Every kid that played got after it and we never quit all the way until the final whistle.”
Hardwick had nine points five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Bertke had six points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Cardington-Lincoln 50, Lucas 17
Cardington-Lincoln started off the week with a lopsided win over Lucas, with the Pirates playing terrific defense throughout.
“I was very proud of the entire team effort in the game,” Fitzpatrick said. “We started off slow by missing some early shots, but then I brought in some kids off the bench and they sparked the team. We went on a scoring run and never looked back.
The Pirates led 12-1 after a quarter and 32-5 at halftime. They deficit was huge, but they kept their foot on the pedal in the third quarter with a 13-3 advantage. Lucas outscored the Pirates 9-5 in the fourth but the damage had been done.
Hardwick led the way with 14 points, five boards, three assists and five steals.
“Abbi got going by getting a couple of steals,” said Fitzpatrick. “She’s a very unselfish player and sometimes passes up some good shots. She got to the basket and was able to get herself going.
Hall had nine points, three assists and a steal. Hallabrin had six points, four boards and four assists. The team had a total of 25 steals in the win.
“Our goal was to rotate a lot because we had three games in four days,” Fitzpatrick said. “The kids came in and did a great job of sharing the ball with each other. Great team effort on both ends of the floor.”
