FREMONT – Ross’ girls basketball team knows all too well the Lima Senior Spartans can score points and narrow deficits in a hurry. Having lost a fourth-quarter lead to Lima on Dec. Dec. 14, the Lady Giants were in no mood for a repeat performance.
So as Ross held double-digit leads in the third and fourth quarters, the Lady Giants made sure history did not repeat itself. Every time Lima threatened to climb back into the game, Ross answered with a big basket or two of its own and held on for a 59-50 victory.
Jazmin Bulger
Ahlia Simms
“They play that style of basketball where they’re not going to stop,” Ross coach Juan Vela said of Lima. “They play a fast pace so they can get eight, 10, 12 points in a manner of minutes. I thought our girls, whenever they had a little run, we stopped it and created another run for us. And they took care of the basketball and did exactly what they’re supposed to do.”
When Ross visited Lima earlier this season, the Lady Giants led by 15 at halftime and by 11 heading into the fourth quarter only to lose 61-59.
Thursday night, the Lady Giants took an eight-point lead into halftime, 31-23, but made sure to make the lead hold.
Lima went on a 6-0 run early in the third quarter, trimming what had been a 12-point lead in half. After a timeout, Ross answered. Jazmin Bulger and Brooklyn Baptista combined for 10 points and two assists over the next two-and-half minutes during which the Lady Giants went on a 10-2 run, leading to a 12-point lead, 46-34, entering the fourth quarter.
Brooklyn Baptista
Olivia Baptista
But, like December’s meeting in Lima, the Spartans did not go away quietly. Lima scored the fourth quarter’s first five points, trimming the deficit down to seven points, prompting another Ross timeout.
Following the timeout, Ross, once again, answered. Ahlia Simms scored on a put-back of an offensive rebound then, 30 seconds later assisted on a 3-pointer by Olivia Baptista got a 12-point lead.
Lima scored with 2:30 to play, again climbing to within eight. Ross, however, slammed the door with a baseline drive by Simms, followed soon thereafter by another 3-pointer, this one from Bulger, going ahead 13 points with 90 seconds to play.
“Against Findlay, in the fourth quarter, I saw some of that maturity and I saw it again here tonight,” Vela said. “It was kind of nice to see them execute and take care of the ball.”
Ross finished one point shy of having four players in double figures. Bulger led the way with 21 points with eight rebounds, while Simms scored 14. Olivia Baptista scored 11 and Brooklyn Baptista added nine.
“I hate seeing teams (being) one-dimensional,” Vela said. “The girls know they have a green light as long as they work on their skills in practice and get better. It’s nice seeing a balanced scoresheet like that because it’s hard to guard.”
The victory lifts Ross to 11-6 overall, 5-5 in the TRAC and give the Lady Giants their second-straight win. With upcoming games against Port Clinton, St. Ursula and Clay, Ross is in position to put together a solid winning streak as it heads into the season’s final stretch and sectional tournament.
Vela acknowledged he’s starting to think about the postseason, but knows it’s still a long ways off.
“At moments, yes, I think that, but having coached for a while with the experience we have we have to go back in the next day and work at what we need to improve. We can work on our rebounding, boxing out we can shoot the ball better. I think it’s just every day is a new day. It’s hard to look so far in the future. The next game is against Port Clinton… and we have to be ready for that.”
Fremont Ross 59, Lima Senior 50
LIMA (50)
Sigman 12; Oglesbee 3; McDonald 22; Washington 7; Bean 5; Williams 2. Totals, 18 9-12 50.
FREMONT ROSS (59)
Bulger 9 1-4 21; O. Baptista 3 3-4 11; Simms 5 5-7 14; B. Baptista 3 0-0 9; Overmyer 1 0-0 2; Gore 1 0-0 2. Totals, 22 9-17 59.
3-pointers: LS, 6 (McDonald 4, Oglesbee 1, Washington 1), FR, 6 (B. Baptista 3, O. Baptista 2, Bulger 1).