O-G eases past Red Devils

ARLINGTON —Erin Kaufman wanted the ball down low. Chloee Glenn fed the junior, who turned and scored an easy layup in the second quarter for Ottawa-Glandorf. That was a consistent theme on Saturday — the Titans making things look easy with Kaufman scoring a lot. Kaufman scored a career-high 22 points, leading O-G to a comfortable 64-21 non-league win over Arlington. "We have three six-footers and we want to take advantage with them," O-G assistant coach Scott Maag said. "They do a pretty good job when they catch the ball down by the rim. They know what to do with it when they get down there. That opens some driving lanes for some of our other players." Maag, who coached Leipsic's boys basketball team to a Division IV state runner-up finish in 2013, is handling the program in place of O-G head coach Troy Yant, who is out due to quarantine. "We are very lucky that our post players can actually handle the ball," Maag said. "That is an advantage for us. It does not matter who the point guard is. If we get a steal, they can push the ball up the floor." The game was even for the first three minutes before Ottawa-Glandorf (7-0) ripped off nine straight points for a 11-2 lead. Kylie Jolliff scored for the Red Devils (2-5), but Kaufman and Glenn each split two free throws and Glenn scored at the buzzer to give the Titans a 16-4 lead after eight minutes. "They are just on a different level than us right now," Arlington coach Jimmy Nicholson said. "We are a real young team playing a couple freshmen and a lot of underclassmen. We lost a lot last year, so we are still growing and trying to figure out what we can do. O-G does not let you do a whole lot." Kaufman's tally in the second quarter gave O-G a 23-6 lead. Jarah Smith made two free throws and Jolliff scored for Arlington's only sequence of consecutive trips down the floor with scores. Ottawa-Glandorf was not impressed. Glenn scored back-to-back buckets to jumpstart a 10-0 run for the Titans over the last 3:13 of the quarter. Kaufman swatted a shot then finished on the other end for a 3-point play as O-G took a 33-10 lead at halftime. "It was our first Saturday game, so I think it was a learning experience for us," Maag said. "We had runs because we did not keep consistent. We were up and down. As you want to become a better team, you want to keep that consistency the whole game." Kaufman opened the third-quarter scoring to finish off the run of 12 straight points by O-G. The Titans then ran off 16 straight points to blow the game wide open, with freshman Katie Kaufman scoring three times late in the third quarter as the lead ballooned to 57-16. "They pressure you," Nicholson said. "They do not let you do anything you want to do. As a coach, it is hard to get in and out of plays. They are big. Their post players are a lot better." Jolliff's seven points topped Arlington. O-G out-rebounded the Red Devils, 33-9. "They are pretty good," said Nicholson of the Titans. "We played Liberty-Benton on Thursday and Ottawa-Glandorf on Saturday. That is enough of that. Those are two of the best teams in the state in Division III." Glenn finished with 12 points for Ottawa-Glandorf — her fourth straight game in double digits. Kelsey Erford added 11 points. The Titans committed 20 turnovers. "We just have to make sure we are focused the whole game," Maag said. "That is going to come. We have a couple girls that did not see much varsity action and they are starting to play a little bit more. It is a learning process." O-G (7-0) Erford 5-1—11, Okuley 2-0—4, E. Kaufman 9-4—22, Glenn 5-2—12, Haselman 1-0—3, K. Kaufman 4-—8, Brinkman 0-1—1, Schroeder 1-0—3. TOTALS: 27-44 8-14—64. ARLINGTON (2-5) Beach 2-1—5, B. 0-2—2, Jolliff 3-0—7, J. Smith 0-2—2, Stewart 0-2—2, Russell 1-0—3. TOTALS: 6-26 7-11—21. O-G &emsp;&emsp;16 17 24 7 — 64 Arlington &emsp;&emsp;4 6 6 5 — 21 3-Point GOALS: Ottawa-Glandorf 2-8 (Haselman, Schroeder); Arlington 2-14 (Jolliff, Russell). REBOUNDS: Ottawa-Glandorf 33 (Erford 9); Arlington 9 (Bach 3). TURNOVERS: Ottawa-Glandorf 20; Arlington 24.