×

Ball scores 21 to lead Waterford past Fort Frye

RON JOHNSTON The Marietta Times Waterford’s Megan Ball, left, drives the lane as Fort Frye’s Tanner Booth defends during a high school girls basketball game Wednesday night at the Harry Cooper Annex.

WATERFORD — Waterford High was tested in the first half.

But after the break, it was all Wildcats as the defending Ohio Division IV champions cruised to a 45-24 triumph over Fort Frye High in non-conference girls’ basketball action at the Cooper Annex Wednesday night.

Earlier this season, the green and white cagers also defeated the Cadets in Beverly (61-35).

“You know what’s coming in a rivalry game, and that’s what we expected in this game tonight,” said WHS head coach Jerry Close. “They (Cadets) are a physically and mentally tough team. They’ve gone through a lot this year. We knew they were going to come at us hard, and they did a really nice job.”

Megan Ball paced the fifth-ranked Cats (18-2 overall), who extended their winning streak to eight, with a game-high 21 points. The 5-foot-10 junior also grabbed five rebounds and had four steals.

Alli Kern, a 5-9 junior, added 13 points, a team-high seven boards, had four steals, and dished out four assists.

“Alli and I know each other like the back of our hands,” Ball said. “We play summer basketball together, and we know where each other is going to be all the time. So, that kind of pays off at times, too.”

Said Close, “Having those two always helps. It makes it a lot easier.

Waterford sophomore Rachael Adams, who was filling in for injured starter Kenzie Dietz, had a good, all-around game with seven points and a team-high five steals.

Fort Frye, co-Pioneer Valley Conference champion with Buckeye Trail, was led by Morgan Borich, who tallied nine points and collected seven caroms. Senior Tanner Booth grabbed a game-high 11 boards.

Makayla Liedtke, the Cadets’ leading scorer on the season, was limited to five markers, all in the second half.

During first-quarter action, both teams struggled to get on the scoreboard. But Ball’s bucket at the 2:44 mark helped ignite a 10-0 Wildcat run. Fort didn’t get its first score until Borich drained a triple with 16 seconds left.

“It was pretty good defense, but at the same time, we kind of got sloppy with the ball at times, and didn’t take the shots we needed to,” Ball said. “But we adjusted to that, too.”

Early in the second quarter, Ball knocked down a three to give the Wildcats a 13-3 advantage. Late in the stanza, Kern made her first trey of the contest to make it 20-9. But the Cadets closed out the half with a 6-0 spurt on baskets by Borich, MacKenzie White, and Booth.

Waterford led 20-15 at the intermission.

“At halftime, I felt pretty good,” Dan Liedtke said. “If we could’ve just had a couple of things happen for us in the second half.”

Ball said that Fort Frye’s “a really physical team.”

“It was tough,” she continued. “And we really didn’t adjust to it as well as what we did.

“The second half, we adjusted to how physical they were and went physical right back at them.”

Added Close, “We adjusted a little bit in the second half, and our kids played a little bit more physical. They kind of backed a way a little bit in the first half, but I think they did a nice job of adjusting in the second half. And that was the difference in the game.”

In the third quarter, Kern scored five points, and Ball three as Waterford stretched its lead to 31-19. Fort’s only baskets in the period were by Makayla Liedtke and White.

“They’re the main players,” said Dan Liedtke of Ball and Kern. “They’re two very good ballplayers. Those two girls can score inside and outside. We were willing to give them some of those outside shots, but they were hitting some of them.”

Ball tallied seven markers, including three freebies, in the final stanza as the Cats outpointed the Cadets, 14-5, and won going away.

Waterford is scheduled to host Wahama in a Tri-Valley Conference-Hocking Division tilt tonight at 7:30 p.m. while Fort Frye is slated to entertain Bellaire Wednesday (Feb. 15) at 7 p.m.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.15/week.

Subscribe Today