Strong defense leads Arcanum girls basketball team past Indian Lake in OHSAA tournament

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PITSBURG – A team never knows how well it will do offensively on a given day. It may not get the shot opportunities that had been planned or the shots just won’t fall on a given game.

If a team wishes to advance in the Ohio High School Athletic Association tournament it had better pack its defense for just such a game. The No. 3 seed Lady Trojans of Arcanum did not have their best offensive game of the season but are moving on into round two of the tournament after beating Indian Lake 46-23, thanks to an outstanding defensive effort.

“Defensively, we were able to take care of business,” Arcanum girls basketball coach Matt Grote said.

Arcanum opened the game with a 7-2 lead thanks to 4 points from Stevie Johnting and a triple from Elle Siculan just four minutes into the period. While the defense would allow only two baskets in the quarter the offense could muster just 3 more points to take just a 10-4 lead after one stanza.

After Indian Lake scored the initial field goal of the second quarter the Arcanum offense had its shining moment of the game. During the next four minutes the Lady Trojans would go on a 16-3 scoring run to push their advantage to 28-9 with just a little more than two minutes until halftime.

When asked about this burst, Coach Grote commented about the transition from defense to offense of his team.

“Definitely is a strength,” he said. “We pressed a little bit … tried to get out and finish at the rim.”

Arcanum looked to be putting this game away, but then the Lady Lakers proceeded to make a 7-0 surge before the intermission and pull back to within striking distance at 28-16 at the break.

In the second half the game’s result was never in doubt. The Lady Trojans scored just 18 points in the final 16 minutes, but they allowed just 7, only 1 in the fourth quarter.

Johnting led all scorers with 18 points and freshman Kayla O’Daniel contributed 11 for Arcanum. Indian Lake had three mark the score book. Morgan Evilsizor had 11 points and Kristen Young and Katelyn Hogan each had 6.

The Lady Trojans advance to round two of the OHSAA sectional tournament and face No. 14 seed Northwestern at 6 p.m. Thursday at Franklin Monroe High School.

Arcanum’s Gracie Garno controls the ball during an Ohio High School Athletic Association tournament game against Indian Lake on Saturday at Franklin Monroe.
https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_Gracie-Garno-WEB-2.jpgArcanum’s Gracie Garno controls the ball during an Ohio High School Athletic Association tournament game against Indian Lake on Saturday at Franklin Monroe. Tim Alley|For The Daily Advocate

By Tim Alley

For The Daily Advocate

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