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Local Sports from The CourierMonday, March 18, 2013Boys basketball: Ottawa-Glandorf punches ticket to statesTAFF WRITER BOWLING GREEN -- The seniors at Ottawa-Glandorf were supposed to head off to the Big Apple for their senior class trip this coming Saturday. Some seniors had a change of plans, though. They decided to punch a ticket to Columbus instead. Pushed to the limit by an under-manned but over-achieving Bloom-Carroll team, Ottawa-Glandorf finally pulled away in overtime to beat the Bulldogs 60-56 in the Division III regional final Saturday at Bowling Green State University's Stroh Center. "We let them back in it, but we kept our cool and we made plays when we needed to," O-G coach Tyson McGlaughlin said after the Titans, up by eight points with 3:40 left in regulation, overcame a rash of turnovers and a one-point deficit to force overtime. "It's not how pretty it is. It's just whether you move on, and I'm glad these guys have that opportunity." O-G will make a second straight trip to the Division III state semifinals when the Titans (24-3) and Ironton (23-3) clash at 10:45 a.m. Thursday at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus. Leavittsburg LaBrae (24-3) and Versailles (22-5) will square off in the 2 p.m. semifinal, with the winners returning at 10:30 a.m. Saturday for the Division III state championship. With all five starters and eight lettermen returning from last year's state semifinal team, some felt O-G could start booking rooms in Columbus before the 2012-13 season even started. "Getting to state with a lot of underclassmen last year, well, the expectations are bound to happen. People just take it for granted sometimes," McGlaughlin said. "But it's still tough. You play so many good teams, kids are so well-coached, you have to come out every night and be on your game. I don't think a lot of people realize the amount of pressure that was on these guys." That pressure seemed to manifest itself late in the fourth quarter. Ottawa-Glandorf led 47-39 after T.J. Metzger converted a back-door lay-up with 4:10 left in regulation and Matthew "Chewy" Kaufman converted one of two free throws 30 seconds later. But the Titans turned the ball over on their next five possessions, and Bloom-Carroll was more than happy to capitalize. Isaac McGlone, a 6-foot-2 senior guard who poured in a game-high 30 points, scored on one steal and junior Joey Schmitz scored on two more. McGlone followed another O-G turnover with his sixth 3-pointer of the game as the Bulldogs erased that 8-point deficit in a hurry and took a 48-47 lead with 1:34 left. Metzger hit a free throw with just less than a minute to play, tying the game at 48. McGlone missed a jumper with 30 seconds left; Metzger's shot for the win went off the back of the iron at the buzzer. "Our guys really picked it up," said Bloom-Carroll coach Tom Petty. "They had a sense of urgency and really got after it. We got some turnovers, converted them into points and got the game close." O-G looked to take control early in overtime. Michael Rosebrock scored on a strong move to the basket, then grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled. His free throw with 2:36 on the clock put O-G up 53-48. With Bloom-Carroll missing one shot after another and O-G rebounding every miss, the Titans started a parade to the foul line. Noah Bramlage, a 6-7 sophomore, made two free throws with 2:17 to play and Kaufman added another a minute later. Metzger converted one of two foul shots with 59 seconds left and Bramlage one of two at the 45.1 mark. "I try to get the line as quick as I can," said Bramlage, who converted 6 of 8 free throws in overtime and 9 of 13 in the game. "I tell myself, 'You're here, you're not going anywhere, so you might as well make them." But every time O-G seemed to have that ticket to state punched, Bloom-Carroll kept threatening to alter the Titans' travel plans. Schmitz, who teamed with McGlone to form a deadly pair of long-range howitzers, bombed in a 3-pointer with 33.7 seconds left to cut the deficit to 56-53, then nailed another with 12.1 on the clock to keep it a one-possession game. Bramlage gave the Titans some breathing room, hitting a free throw with 10.6 seconds to play to make it 60-56. Caleb Siefker, who had a number of crunch-time plays in the regional, then picked off a pass to keep Bloom-Carroll from staging any last-second heroics. "We had some lapses, but we were able to persevere," McGlaughlin said. "(Bloom-Carroll) was in the regional for a reason, and they weren't going to go down without a fight. "They stepped up their pressure, they were gambling and taking risks, and we got a little careless with the ball. We have strong kids, and we had to square up and attack. I think that was the adjustment we had to make." Ottawa-Glandorf was bigger and more athletic inside than Bloom-Carroll. But the Titans, who trailed 21-14 after McGlone and Schmitz nailed NBA-length 3-pointers early in the second quarter, had only a 16-12 rebounding edge in the first half and had gotten to the line only twice. The second half was another story. Emphasizing the inside game paid off big for the Titans, who outrebounded Bloom-Carroll 6-2 on the offensive glass and 22-13 overall in the second half and overtime. O-G's inside play also got the Titans to the line, where despite a chilly 55-percent accuracy (18 of 33), they were still able to outscore the Bulldogs 16-0 in the second half and overtime. Bramlage led O-G with 15 points and nine rebounds. Metzger and Rosebrock added 13 points each. Schmitz backed McGlone's 30-point effort with 16 of his own. No shot seemed out of range for the two sharpshooters, who were a combined 10 of 22 on 3-point attempts. "That is the best guard combo we've seen all year," McGlaughlin said. "What makes them really dangerous is they have no limit from about 25 feet in." It was another regional heartbreaker for Petty and the Bulldogs (26-2), who have advanced to state only once in 10 trips to the Sweet Sixteen. For O-G, it is chance to finally put the anticipation and pressure of returning to Columbus in the background. "Last year, stepping into that environment, I think we were in awe," Siefker said. "Knowing we've been there before adds so much confidence. I don't there will be that awe factor this time because we've already had it." bloom-carroll (26-2) Bachman 1-4 0-0 2, McGlore 11-25 2-2 30, Vanatta 0-1 2-2 2, Schmitz 6-15 0-0 16, Manley 3-6 0-0 6, Song 0-0 0-0 0, James 0-0 0-0 0, Carson 0-3 0-0 0. TOTALS: 21-54 4-4--56. ottawa-glandorf (24-3) Kaufman 1-2 2-4 4, Rosebrock 6-10 1-4 13, Siefker 3-5 1-2 9, Bramlage 3-9 9-13 15, Metzger 4-11 4-8 13, Westrick 1-2 0-0 2, Von Sosson 1-2 0-0 3, Leopold 0-1 1-2 1. TOTALS: 19-42 18-33--60. Bloom-Carroll 13 14 5 16 8 -- 56 Ottawa-Glandorg 12 15 11 10 12 -- 60 3-Point GOALS: Bloom-Carroll 10-28 (McGlore 6-15, Schmitz 4-7, Vanatta 0-1, Bachman 0-2, Carson 0-3); Ottawa-Glandorf 4-10 (Siefker 2-4, Von Sosson 1-2, Metzger 1-4). rebounds: Bloom-Carroll 25 (Bachman 7, Vanatta 6); Ottawa-Glandorf 38 (Bramlage 9). ASSISTS: Bloom-Carroll 9 (Bachman 3); Ottawa-Glandorf 12 (Kaufman 6). STEALS: Bloom-Carroll 5 (Schmitz 3); Ottawa-Glandorf 4 (Siekfer 3). BLOCKS: Bloom-Carroll 1, Ottawa-Glandorf 2. TURNOVERS: Bloom-Carroll 11, Ottawa-Glandorf 14. TOTAL FOULS: Bloom-Carroll 22, Ottawa-Glandorf 11. FOULED OUT: None. Hanneman: 419-427-8408, davehanneman@thecourier.com Subscribe to The Courier. |
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