NORTH ROBINSON – Eric Mitchell and Zac Bauer got exactly what they wanted out of a pre-Thanksgiving girls basketball clash.
Bauer’s Colonel Crawford picked up the 31-19 win over Mitchell’s New London thanks to a strong first quarter. But over the next three, it was just a one-possession game.
“We knew coming in that it was kind of a tournament atmosphere,” Mitchell said. “For a Tuesday night before Thanksgiving … our girls knew this was going to be a very tough early season test. I thought defensively to give up only 31 points — but you gotta give credit to Colonel Crawford to hold us to 19 points — that says a lot about the way they play defense. I just thought it was a very, very good early season game.
“I can’t be more pleased with the effort out of the girls. The biggest thing is we need that push those days in our gym when it’s just us practicing to get ready for games like this. And you could see that a little bit because of the intensity Crawford came out with … I thought we matched it, but it took us a while and they punched us in the mouth in that first quarter.”
The Eagles jumped out to a 14-4 lead after one and that proved to be a hole the Wildcats could not dig themselves out of, no matter how hard they tried
“You always say no game is won in the first quarter, but tonight, they came out and swung first,” Mitchell said. “They landed their punches early and we go down 10 in the first quarter, but battle back and hold them to four in the second … we made it a very close game. We just gotta put the ball in the net and it didn’t want to fall from outside. They made it hard for us to get looks, but I thought we made it hard for them, too.”
Colonel Crawford had just four points in the second and three in the third — Emmi Powers had the lone field goal in both quarters — and saw a once 10-point lead slip to six heading into the fourth.
“That’s what you see in a quality opponent and a well-coached team like New London,” Bauer said. “Coach Mitchell does such a good job of preparing his team, and it’s an experienced group. I remember playing them here when these girls were freshmen, and it’s the same team.
“They’re gonna make runs, and we’re gonna make some — that’s why we have them here. They wanted to come play a high quality game and go back and forth to test yourself a bit.”
The proverbial nail in the coffin came with a little over two minutes to play when Colonel Crawford’s Robin Ehmann grabbed an offensive board away from three Wildcats, kicked the ball out to Saylor Holt atop the key, and she proceeded to swish the 3 leading the crowd to erupt.
She finished with five points, Powers led with 12, Ehmann added nine, Lexi Dure and Reese Redman two apiece, Lila Plesac one. New London was led by Valery Henry’s seven, Gracie Thomas had five, Raeann Mitchell three, Olivia Yetter and Pailee Wilson two each.
“It was a nice test to see where we are and how we can build on this,” Mitchell said. “Because we could see these guys again at the end of the season.”
It’s still a work in progress for the Eagles who are working in a few new faces this season. Luckily, they have a handful of veterans to lean on along the way.
“It’s an experienced, but inexperienced group,” Bauer said. “We return two sophomores in Emmi Powers and Saylor Holt, two juniors who played as sophomores in Robin Ehmann and Lila Plesac, and (senior) Lexi Dure the stalwart.
“Reese Redman as a freshman has come in and really contributed quickly, she matured quickly and played with a lot of poise, then Claire Smith and Lily Alberty had great summers for us as juniors and the effort really stands out. Claire plays with great pace and she’s really cerebral in the way she plays the game, and Lily is just all out effort running around and using her athleticism and strength. They fit our team really nicely.”
And in just the second game of the season, Bauer couldn’t have asked for a better atmosphere and opponent to prepare for the postseason.
“That’s why we want to schedule our nonleague the way we do,” he said. “You think about the tournament run, you want to get tested early and often. The N10 is going to test us for sure, but it’s nice to get tested in nonleague, too.”
zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden
This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Colonel Crawford tops New London in early season tournament atmosphere
Reporting by Zachary Holden, Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum / Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
