DELPHOS — The Lima Central Catholic Thunderbirds traveled over to Delphos to face off with the Jefferson Wildcats in a girls basketball matchup.
The Lady Thunderbirds completely dominated this Northwest Conference affair, winning 62-32.
The Thunderbirds came out strong after winning the opening tip. Jefferson struggled to get shots off in the first period, only scoring seven to LCC’s 17. Mary Fisher came off the bench and scored three points in the first; Jo Jo Krieg sank four baskets for nine points. Although Jefferson freshman Bridget Culp had five points, the Wildcats seemed unable to get enough shots off to help the cause.
In the second period, the Thunderbirds came out strong again, tallying 21 points by the end of the period. Once again, Fisher came off the bench to score nine in the quarter. The Wildcats were forced into 13 turnovers in the half, only forcing the Thunderbirds to have four. The Wildcats were also outrebounded, especially on their defensive end as they allowed LCC to have second and third shots many times down the floor. At the break, the Wildcats headed into the locker room down by 24.
The Thunderbirds had 22 of their 37 total rebounds on the offensive side of things as Jefferson only had 13 offensive boards.
“We didn’t handle the pressure well and we got killed on the boards as we allowed them second and third shots. We need to step it up and be more physical and keep our poise under pressure,” stated Jefferson mentor Dave Hoffman.
The Thunderbirds were dominant again in the second half, although they allowed the Wildcats to outscore them by three in the third period. Jefferson appeared to be handling the ball a little stronger after the break but were still struggling to get shots off. The Thunderbirds got into some foul trouble during the period but that did not stop them from playing aggressively and getting boards. Jefferson closed the gap to 18 at one point but could never get any closer to the Thunderbirds.
“We shot a little better tonight then we have been and our defense was pretty solid. This was a good game for us after taking a couple games to the chin as we had good ball movement and offensive boards. Mary Fisher came off the bench and made some shots for us that really opened things up for us,” stated LCC coach Bill Taflinger.
The Thunderbirds sparked back in the final period, scoring 16 to Jefferson’s nine. Jenny Lamoreau and Krieg both sank threes along with others adding field goals. The Thunderbirds made most of their points from the field as Jefferson made all but two of their points from the foul line.
The Thunderbirds were led in scoring by Fisher with 15; Krieg and Lamoreau joined her in double digits with 14 and 11, respectively. Jefferson couldn’t put anyone in double digits, topped by Culp with eight.
The Wildcats fall to 2-3, 0-2 in the NWC and will host Miller City on Saturday with a JV start time of 1 p.m. The Thunderbirds increased to 3-2, 1-1 in the Conference, and host Lima Senior on Tuesday.
In JV action, the Wildcats tried to make a comeback but fell short with a score of 35-33. The Thunderbirds were led in scoring by Laurel Conrad and Kelly Mulcahy, both with eight. Jefferson was led in scoring by Morgan Fischbach with 13.
