The Olentangy girls basketball team was held to two points in the second quarter and never recovered in a 52-36 loss at Bishop Watterson in the second round of the Division I district tournament Thursday night in Columbus.
Elizabeth Rabold bookended a 6-0 run in the first quarter to help 13th-seeded Watterson take the lead. But, it was a 14-2 second quarter that allowed the Eagles to take control.
Lainey Billing’s three-point play started the run and Paige Woodford knocked down a three-pointer to make it an 8-0 run, giving the Eagles a 24-10 lead.
“It’s been our downfall all year,” Olentangy coach Mike Daniels said. “We’ve had many quarters with single-digit scoring. It’s hard to win games like that.”
Molly Delaney briefly stopped the rally with Olentangy’s only basket of the frame.
But, after a Grace Jenkins basket, Gretchen Glantzman scored back-to-back baskets, including one in the final seconds to give Watterson a 30-12 lead at the break.
“I knew they wouldn’t (give us easy looks),” Daniels said. “This is one of the best-coached teams. When they step on the floor – they’re here to play every game. That’s the culture we’re trying to teach here at Olentangy and they’ve been doing it for years. It’s a tough place to come and play.”
Glantzman scored six of her game-high 16 points in the second frame and Billing finished with 12 to lead Watterson (16-8), which led by as many as 23 in the second half.
Maddie Goodman’s three-pointer capped a 7-0 rally by Olentangy to close the gap late in the game.
Delaney finished with nine points and Jessica Nation added seven for 29th-seeded Olentangy (11-13).
“(Watterson has) struggled playing against zone and they actually hit a little bit tonight,” Daniels said. “If we could have scored, I probably could have stayed in the zone and made them shoot more outside. They’re too hard to guard in the man-to-man.”
Watterson moves on to the district semifinal round and will face either top-seeded Newark or 50th-seeded Franklin Heights Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at a site to be determined.
