DOYLESTOWN — It isn't often you get two champions together during the regular season to duke it out for bragging rights, but that was the case when Ohio Cardinal Conference champ Wooster made the trip to Chippewa, which is closing in on yet another Wayne County Athletic League crown.
Both teams, it turned out, lived up to their billing.
In fact, with bodies hitting the hardwood at nearly every turn, both sides scrapping for every loose ball and both coaches constantly barking out instructions, it took longer than 32 minutes to decide a winner. Ultimately, the Chipps (17-0) prevailed in overtime, 74-71.
"We were warriors today," said Chippewa coach Denny Schrock, whose team avenged a loss at Wooster a year ago. "Each game I normally tell the girls a story or write something and today, we talked about the Chippewa Indians. How they fought against unbelievable odds and I told the girls I wanted them to go out there today and fight, fight and fight."
That spirit was evident all day, but never more visible than in the extra session when Celina Koncz (game-high 22 points) put the Chipps in front for keeps at 68-66 with 3 of 4 free throws after being fouled hard going to the bucket on back-to-back possessions. Koncz then found Grace Lindquist over the top for a quick bucket to make it 70-66 with just 1:15 left in OT, and Lindquist (11 points, 6 rebounds) sealed the victory when she split a pair from the line, then made it 73-68 with 45 seconds left on a tough bucket in heavy traffic.
"Grace just responds," said Schrock. "She has her moments where she misses some foul shots or gets in foul trouble, but she always responds in every close game that we have been in at the end."
Early on, though, it was the Generals who responded. After Chippewa bolted to a 23-12 first-quarter lead, Wooster dominated the second quarter 24-5 and carried a 36-28 lead into halftime.
Sydney Clapp ignited the Wooster run with a 3-pointer and standout post Stephanie Smith gave the Generals multiple second chances with four offensive boards in that time span. Smith (6 points) corralled a dozen rebounds, while Daisha Brown led the scoring for Wooster with 20 points, scoring six of those in the second quarter along with Clapp and Ny'Eemah Brown both pouring in five each.
"It was a great team effort today," said Wooster coach Michael Baus. "We were able to break their press some and start clicking offensively and get out and running in that second quarter."
The Generals extended the advantage as far as 15 at 44-29 with 4:42 left in the third quarter when Daisha Brown made successive baskets on back-to-back possessions.
It was then that the Chipps came firing back with an 11-0 run to trim their deficit to 44-40, led by the trio of Bailey Clark, Katie Richardson and Koncz. Clark did the heavy lifting with seven of her 20 points, while Richardson and Koncz both added a basket in the spurt that helped set the stage for the fourth-quarter dogfight.
"I have said it all year, Clark is the ultimate competitor," said Schrock. "Today was the first time I had to take her out because she was gassed. I didn't want to take her out and we got her back in the game quickly, but the job she did today on (Macyn) Siegenthaler was incredible, holding her to four buckets."
In the first 3:19 of the fourth quarter, the lead switched hands six times before Ny'Eemah Brown (15 points) went on a 6-2 run to give Wooster the advantage 56-55, scoring by way of a runner, two foul shots and a bucket off an assist from Clapp. Also delivering down the stretch for the Generals was Siegenthaler, with four of her 16 points, as Wooster kept the lead all the way until less than a minute remained and Richardson (12 points) delivered a pair of free throws to knot matters up.
Aside from the outcome, the big negative on the day for Wooster was the loss of Ny’Eemah Brown, who injured her ankle jumping to start overtime. Though she attempted to stay in the game at the time, the senior couldn’t apply any pressure to the ankle and will undergo x-rays.
"She is a tough girl," said Baus. "So it’s a little concerning when she comes off like that. She didn’t want to come off the court.
"We got up 15 and we got tired," added Baus. "The effort and attitudes were there, we just came out on the short end of the stick against a very good team. We were right there knocking on the door and we had our chances, but overall it's a good way to head into the tournament."
"It felt like we were playing a district championship game," concurred Schrock. "It's a good rivalry with good players, both teams went at it hard in a tournament atmosphere."