Lady Bulldogs advance to Ripley County final

Getting sparks in each half by two different players, the Lady Bulldogs held off the Jac-Cen-Del Lady Eagles 56-43 in the nightcap of day one last Tuesday.

Marlee Obermeyer scored every one of her 13 points before halftime and sophomore teammate Alyson Peters put in 11 of her team-high 14 points after the break. The Eagles were hardly within two possessions again following Obermeyer’s second of three 3-pointers in the first half that made it a 12-5 ball game.

A three by Kelsey Borgman just ahead of the third-quarter horn had JCD trailing 42-35 with a quarter to go. Reagan Hughes’ left-handed layup briefly made it a 5-point game to start the fourth. But Cora Deputy found Peters for two at the other end. The basket started a 7-0 run by the Dogs, with Peters banking another one home and senior Emma Weiler hitting a long 2-pointer.

Four straight fouls by JCD – including back-to-back charges taken by Lydia Haskamp and Sophie Gesell – put Batesville in the bonus and Haskamp made 1 of 2 at the stripe for a 49-37 advantage. At 2:54, Claire Saner completed a drive to make it 53-39 and force veteran Eagles’ coach Scott Smith to call a full timeout. This played out again seconds later when Saner scored in transition; BHS led 55-40 when time was called. A three by the game’s leading scorer, Olivia Neal, cut the deficit to a dozen but JCD’s last timeout at 2:03 couldn’t help the comeback.

Neal opened the game with a pair of foul shots. Deputy’s three gave BHS its first lead and Gesell fed Peters for a hoop. Hughes hit a corner trey to produce the game’s final tie. Obermeyer got hot and Gesell scored on a putback for a 9-point lead. Hughes laid one in at the buzzer to get within half of the Dogs at 14-7.

The Bulldogs kept the pedal down as the second frame moved along. A follow-up by Haskamp preceded a near-three by Obermeyer; Borgman scored a traditional 3-point play to make it 18-10. Obermeyer connected underneath, then fed Gesell for a deuce. Julia Meyer drove in for two, but Obermeyer’s third long ball had Smith calling time at 25-12.

An Ava Hanson bucket made it 27-16 with 1:13 left in the half and another reserve, Lizzy Nobbe, hit a triple off a Gesell pass for a 13-point BHS lead. Neal scored on an inbound play to put the halftime score at 30-19.

Peters was the alpha Dog late in the third, taking two steals in for scores and adding another goal down low. Each of the steals preceded an Eagle timeout. A steal and conversion for Weiler had BHS up by 10 early in the half and the senior assisted Haskamp for a 34-22 lead. JCD closed the frame on a 5-0 swing, Neal hitting from the field ahead of a 10-second violation on the Dogs.

Deputy added 6 to the scorebook, with Haskamp and Weiler each netting 5, Saner and Gesell tabbing 4 apiece, Nobbe nailing 3 and Hanson 2. Peters had 3 rebounds and 2 assists; Obermeyer had 2 of each. Deputy had 2 steals and 2 assists. Haskamp boarded 5, adding 3 assists. Gesell led on the glass with 6 caroms and blocked 2 shots. Saner hauled in 3 rebounds and Hanson 1.