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SHELBY - Colonel Crawford took a tough 15-point loss Saturday afternoon in a battle of No. 1 seeds to Columbus Grove at Shelby High School.
There are 73 miles separating Columbus Grove High School and Shelby High School, but distance was no obstacle as the Bulldogs still came out with a 49-34 district championship.
And they did not start slow jumping out to an 11-2 start, before Colonel Crawford quickly flipped the script to 11-9. It was a real tournament environment with a packed crowd on both sides.
“We’re spoiled at Colonel Crawford because we’re used to playing in front of packed crowds, our community supports our kids," Eagles coach Zac Bauer said. "We were fortunate to play at a place close to home today."
Columbus Grove went into the half leading 28-21 and showed no signs of slowing down in the third quarter, forcing Colonel Crawford to call a timeout with 4:36 as the Bulldogs pushed the lead to 11.
The biggest lead of the game was 16 at the end of the third quarter, and a big reason for that run was 6-foot-0 post Nicole Nesby. Columbus Grove had multiple scorers in double figures as Nesby led with a game-high 16 points while Kendal Palte (14) and Brynn Calvelage (11) were crucial.
“We put a lot of stress on limiting Nicole Nesby, and credit to her, she’s a great player," Bauer said. "She found ways to make plays around the rim. Two or three other kids on their team stepped up and made plays. You’ve gotta credit Columbus Grove a ton because they are a really good team."
Emmi Powers led Colonel Crawford in scoring with 13, Robin Ehmann and Reese Redman followed with five each, Saylor Holt and Lexi Dure scored four apiece, Lila Plesac had three.
The Lady Eagles graduate two seniors in Dure and Elizabeth Ehmann.
“The year we had really starts with Lexi and the culture that she was able to build here over the last four years," Bauer said. "She was part of my first freshman class here, and her ability to step out of her comfort zone and be vocal for us.”
“Then it ends with Liz. Her role on the team was probably one of the more difficult ones you can ask a kid to have. Great teams have a leader, and she did that vocally.”
Other than those two seniors, Crawford fielded a very young team this season. And despite that, it was the first team in 25 years to be able to win 20-plus games. Its last district title was in 2000, and this marks the third year in a row the Eagles have fallen in the district championship. Colonel Crawford ends a tremendous season at 22-3, as district runners-up and back-to-back Northern 10 Conference champions.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Colonel Crawford girls hoops district runner-up third straight year