'They always step up'

MILLER CITY -- Liberty Benton overcame a sluggish start and – with big contributions from freshman players Emelia Kin and Sophie McDaniel – advanced past Wauseon in Tuesday's Division IV district final in Miller City, 43-32. Kin scored 12 points, and McDaniel added 11 points and four assists as Liberty-Benton improved to 19-5, and secured a spot in Saturday's 3 p.m. final with Genoa, which upended Shelby 66-38 Tuesday. Junior Megan Gerken – who had a big fourth quarter and finished with a team-best 14 points – was asked about the freshman duo's performances. "Not just today. They always step up," Gerken said of Kin and McDaniel. "They're really important to our team, and we wouldn't be as good as we are without them." Both teams struggled offensively in the early going. The Eagles began the first quarter making just 1 of their first seven field goal attempts, and led 8-4 at the first stop. A 3 from the corner by the Indians' Abby Kissel cut L-B's lead to 12-9 with 3:09 left in the half. Then, Liberty-Benton started rolling. McDaniel connected on a jumper, Corra Dehart laid one in and then Kin made back-to-back baskets to push the Eagles lead to 20-9. Two free throws by Gerken capped a 10-0 run and sent the Eagles to the break with a 22-9 edge. "That was really big for us," Kin said. Kin and McDaniel each had eight points at the half, leading the team in scoring. "I have a lot of faith in our freshmen," said Liberty-Benton Chad Lieb said. "They do a great job, defensively and offensively." Kin was asked if she feels pressure being in her high school playoff games. "I feel like there's not as much pressure, because I have my upperclassmen who are there to carry me a little bit," Kin said. "But still need to step up and lead the team in what I'm probably best at, which is rebounding." She certainly did that Tuesday, leading all players with 14 boards. McDaniel, meanwhile, paced her team's defensive effort with three steals. "Before the game, our coach told us that defense was going to be the key to win this game, and if we don't win it on the defensive side, we don't win," McDaniel said. Safe to say, L-B won on the defensive side. Still, Wauseon made things interesting a few times in the second half. A straight away 3 by Wauseon's Sophia Rupp pulled the Indians within 29-21 with 1:18 left in the third quarter, and the Indians went to the fourth down 31-23. But the Indians didn't get any closer. A big reason was the play of Gerken, who was limited to just one field goal and two free throws through the first 24 minutes, but finished with a flourish. She made four baskets in the fourth – two 2s, two 3s – and helped the Eagles put the Indians away. "I just knew I needed to focus, so that's what I did," Gerken said. "(I) held my follow-through on my shots and had some great passes from my teammates, which helped the shots go in." "Megan did a good job," Lieb said. "She didn't shoot it real well in the first half, but we told her to continue to shoot, (that) they're gonna eventually fall. And they did, and she hit some big 3s at some big times." Wauseon finished its season at 13-11. Marin Leatherman led the Indians with 10 points, while Rupp had 13 rebounds to go with six points. Ella Tule scored eight for Wauseon. Dehart had five points and five boards for the Eagles. Now, L-B will turn its attention to the district final, and Genoa. Lieb didn't know he'd be facing the Comets when he spoke after the game – Genoa's game with Shelby started at 7:30 in Fostoria – but he said L-B would be ready. "You get to the district championship, it's always gonna be a tough game no matter what," Lieb said. "So we've got to prepare the next three days for whoever it is, and our girls will do that." WAUSEON (13-11) Kissel 2-0—5; Leatherman 5-0—10; Rupp 2-1—6; Tule 2-4—8; Barajas 1-0—3. TOTALS: 12-42—5-8—32. LIBERTY-BENTON (19-5) Gerken 5-2—14; Dehart 1-3—5; E. Lieb 0-1—1; McDaniel 4-3—11; Kin 5-2—12. TOTALS: 15-42—11-18—43. Wauseon 4 5 14 9 –32 Liberty-Benton 8 14 9 12 – 43 3-POINT GOALS: Wauseon 3-12 (Kissel, Rupp, Borajas); Liberty-Benton 2-9(Gerken 2). REBOUNDS: Wauseon 27 (Rupp 8); Liberty-Benton 33 (Kin 13, Dehart 5) TURNOVERS: Wauseon 15; Liberty-Benton 10.