Columbus Grove, Riverdale each reach district finals

LIMA – It took a little while for Columbus Grove to get going in Wednesday's Division VI district semifinal against Carey.But once the Bulldogs did, they didn't let up, using a 17-2 first half run to take control in a 53-20 win over the Blue Devils at Lima Senior.The Bulldogs (21-3) advance to play Colonel Crawford in Saturday's district final at 3 p.m. in Shelby.Carey's season ended at 18-5.In the second game, Marissa Bonham had 21 points and seven rebounds, and Riverdale locked down in the fourth quarter defensively to stop Allen East, 46-39.The Falcons will return to Lima Senior Saturday to play Minster for the district title at 6 p.m.Riverdale's win was much tighter than Columbus Grove's although the Bulldogs didn't dominate right away against the Blue Devils.For the first six minutes of play, the teams combined for just eight points. Carey, despite missing its first eight field goal attempts, trailed just 9-6 when Bella Phoenix converted a stickback with 1:25 left in the quarter.The Bulldogs answered with five straight points to close the period. Elyse Fortman buried a 3 from the corner, then Kendal Palte hit a jumper.The quarter ended, but the Columbus Grove push did not.Nicole Nesby hit a jumper, then Brynn Calvelage nailed a 3 to push the Bulldogs' advantage to 19-6. Columbus Grove eventually led 23-6, concluding a 14-0 stretch when Nesby delivered a jumper with 3:16 left in the half."I thought we played well for the first 5, 5½ minutes. and then they went on that little run, and we just kind of hung our heads," said Carey coach Keith O'Flaherty, whose team lost to Columbus Grove 61-39 when the squads met Dec. 22 in a non-conference game. "They just kind of took us out of our game."Columbus Grove coach Brian Schroeder said his team took awhile to get adjusted."That's kind of the way it goes sometimes in tournament," he said. "You have tournament jitters.""(We) didn't waver. (We) just kept playing the right way and getting good shots, and eventually, we were able to bust out one of those runs."Columbus Grove led 30-11 at the half, then held the Blue Devils scoreless in the third quarter. Grove put up 16 points in the frame, enacting the running clock in the final seconds of the period."Nothing was falling today," O'Flaherty said. "That's part of the game.The Bulldogs led 46-11 after three."I just thought we played really, really well tonight," Schroeder said.As usual, Nesby was a big part of it. She finished with 15 points and six blocks.Allison Thompson had eight points, as did Saige Benroth.But the Grove defense was the real standout."We are blessed with really good length, right?" Schroeder said. "Zones are better if you have good length and we have really good length on the back line. Nicole and (Lydia) Sarka and even Kendal Palte had a couple blocked shots. Everyone does their role."Emily Brodman and McKinnley Kessler each scored five points for the Blue Devils."It wasn't our A game tonight, and you've got to credit Grove for that," O'Flaherty said.Still, it was another strong season for Carey, which won 18 games after a regional appearance a season ago."I can't fault the season for us," O'Flaherty said. "I'm proud of what we accomplished."Riverdale coach Drew Bostic also had plenty to be proud of after his squad improved to 13-10."We're gonna really enjoy this one," Bostic said after beating the Mustangs in Wednesday's second game at Lima Senior. "It's been a while since we've been in this position, so I really want the girls to celebrate this."It was a big game for Bonham. The junior, who was recently named the Blanchard Valley Conference Player of the Year, made eight field goals – two 3-pointers – in the victory.When asked about Bonham's game, Bostic had an interesting perspective."I think the best shots for Marissa were the first two that she took that she missed," he said. "I think that really lit a fire under her."Bonham agreed the two misses were important."After that," she said, "I realized I had to pick it up."She did, making her next six shots.Still, Riverdale had trouble getting away from Allen East.Through the first three quarters, the Mustangs – aided by Evelyn Lehman's four 3s and 20 points – never trailed by more than five points.The Falcons led just 39-36 after three.But then freshman Claire Inbody took over.Not with points, but on defense.The Riverdale post – who finished with eight points and 11 boards – always seemed to be in Allen East's way, shutting off everything inside."Our main focus was to keep (Inbody) parked in the paint, because they got downhill a lot, especially in the first half," Bostic said. "That's something, in the second half, I thought we did a better job of."The Mustangs outside shooting also deserted them. They went 1 of 8 from the floor in the fourth quarter and didn't score until there was 1:11 left in regulation."We definitley worked as a team and we shut them down defensively," Bonham said.