Sandusky Falls in State Quarterfinal
The Sandusky Lady Wolves traveled down to the SC4 Fieldhouse last Tuesday night for the Division 3 State Quarterfinals against the Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest Crusaders.
The game was back and forth to start but the Crusaders’ press started to force Sandusky turnovers a few minutes into the game. The whistle were heavy early on, with two fouls called on point guard Caroline Reinke causing Sandusky Head Coach Al Demott to bench his standout freshman in the first quarter. In addition to foul trouble, there was a lid on the basket for most of the game for the Wolves. Sandusky hit a season low 5 of 35 shots from the field. Reinke was able to return in the second quarter but she quickly picked up her third foul forcing Al Demott to sit his point guard back down. Emma Minard and Angelina Franzel stepped up to fill the void left by Reinke on the defensive end but the struggles on offense continued, allowing Lutheran-Northwest to build a 14-point lead by the half.
The Wolves opened up the second half with a Maggy Keinath three to cut the lead to 11, and the Wolves stayed close with Lutheran-Northwest through the quarter with an even five points a piece.
Sandusky trailed 28-14 to start the fourth. The Crusader defense was tough but sometimes the shots just won’t drop, as multiple layups and jump shots circled the rim before eventually bouncing out. The Wolves took the loss 38-16, “A tough ending to a great season.” Mused Sandusky’s Coach Al Demott. Sandusky finished the season with a record of 25-2. The Sandusky crowd turnout was massive for a Tuesday night game an hour away from home, and that was not lost on coach Demott. “Thank you to all the kids from school and all the Sandusky fans who packed the gym to support our Lady Wolves.
The community support was overwhelming.” The team will miss seniors Helena Long (3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals), Adalee Kaufman (2 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks), and Izzy Shuart next year, but seniors aside the roster should be returning 9 of 12 players for next season, so the community should have plenty of reasons to keep turning out for another year of Sandusky Lady Wolves basketball.
