Perrysburg sophomore guard Addy Byrne (14) driving towards the paint at Anthony Wayne High School. (Drake Harlett|Sentinel-Tribune)
WHITEHOUSE — On Perrysburg’s first two possessions, junior guard Chloe Kilbride scored driving to the rim and she hit a three-point shot, giving the Yellow Jackets an early 5-0 lead over Anthony Wayne Thursday.
Then, the Generals became afflicted with a contagion of three-point shots, hitting one triple after another.
The Generals hit six triples, including on four straight possessions, and went on a 36-3 run to ultimately defeat the Jackets, 68-45, in a Northern Lakes League Buckeye Division matchup at AW’s Dick Albaugh Physical Education and Athletic Center.
“Once one of our kids knocks down a shot, the next kid is going to knock down a shot,” AW coach Jami Carter said.
“I’m super proud of our kids. They competed, knocked down some shots, and did what we needed to do tonight,” Carter added.
AW scored 30 first quarter points and lead 49-19 at halftime. Early in the second half, AW got their lead over 35 points to force a running clock, although that lasted less than two minutes before the Jackets cut into the lead again.
AW improves to 8-2 overall and takes early command of the NLL’s Buckeye Division at 3-0, while Perrysburg falls to 8-5 and 1-2.
Once Perrysburg was down 36-8 early in the second quarter, there was little the Yellow Jackets could do but try to get back into the game, which is easier said than done against a team like AW.
“We just had to keep fighting. That is all you can do,” Perrysburg coach Todd Sims said. “You can’t look at the scoreboard. You just have to keep playing. There is a lot of basketball left. A lot more game.”
AW, which starts two sets of twins, before the game began celebrated 6-foot-1 junior wing Elise Bender scoring her 1,000th point during a 79-49 win at Dublin Coffman on December 23.
Bender is just the fourth AW girls player to reach the 1,000-point plateau, but she did it in the least amount of games — the win over Coffman was her 58th varsity game.
“It’s crazy, and in such a short time, too,” Carter said. “It’s a testament to her hard work and her dedication to the game.”
After the celebration, she immediately went to work, scoring 13 points in the win over Perrysburg.
“It’s nice to get acknowledged, but once you are on the court it doesn’t really matter,” Bender said. “It’s just (about) winning and playing for the team and having team success.”
Ultimately, AW hit 11 triples, accounting for 33 points in the win. Bender says there is a formula for their success.
“I feel like we work in and out, so getting the ball inside and kicking it out, we have really good three-point shooters, so that is tough on defenses,” Bender said. “So getting it in and kicking it out is what we put our focus on.”
The Generals cooled down in the second half, shooting at a 43% clip (23-for-54) by game’s end. AW made 11-of-13 free throws (85%) and had nine turnovers. AW 5-11 sophomore guard Leah Pike, half of the other set of twins, led all scorers with 19 points.
Elise and her sister, 6-foot junior wing Brooke Bender, are both already getting NCAA Division I collegiate offers. They can do more than shoot, too.
They combined for five steals, forcing seven turnovers in the first quarter. Brooke Bender finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.
“They are really good, obviously,” Sims said. “They are long, they are tall, physical, and they can shoot.
“You have to do something to try to break their rhythm and we have got to make shots. It’s a shot maker’s game. If you can’t make shots, you can’t win.”
Perrysburg shot 30% (17-for-57) from the floor, made just 5-of-12 free throws, and finished with 12 turnovers.
Sophomore guard Kallie Thames led the Jackets with 13 points, junior guard Chloe Kilbride scored 12 points, and senior guard Taylor Jockett scored eight points.
Perrysburg sophomore forward Hayden Siebenaller had four point and eight rebounds and sophomore forward Sophie Mitchell had two points and six rebounds.
Junior guard Ayla Turk, sophomore guard Addy Byrne, and senior guard Reagan Wilkinson scored two points apiece and junior guard Hayley Griggs grabbed seven rebounds.
For AW, senior wing Tatum Roder scored six points, junior guard Sophie Smith and freshman wing Charley Gardner scored five points each, and sophomore wing Mallory Pike had three points and five rebounds.
Junior guard Lyla Schaffner and sophomore guard Kennadie Hill contributed two points apiece for the Generals.
