Norwalk rally comes up short

NORWALK — Two critical phases of the game continue to hurt the Norwalk girls basketball team. And yet despite shooting 23 percent from the field (11-of-46) and committing 27 turnovers in 32 minutes, the Truckers had a final shot to steal a win. But ultimately, Norwalk never had the lead in the second half and came up a basket short in Wednesday's 35-33 loss vs. Sandusky in an SBC Lake Division matchup at Norwalk High School. The loss dropped Norwalk to 4-5 overall and 1-3 in the Lake. The Truckers were held to 18 points the night before in a 60-18 loss at Bellevue on Dec. 29, while they also were held to 23 points in a loss vs. Vermilion (Dec. 18) and 24 points in a defeat to Willard on Dec. 10. "We're not shooting the ball very well and we're making a lot of turnovers," Norwalk coach Brock Manlet said. "When you do those two things, it makes it tough. I don't know what the answer is, but a lot of it is execution. "If we can just execute better and cut and screen harder, I think things will open up," he added. "But we had also had a lot of open looks inside tonight that we just missed. We're still a young team learning on the fly, and maybe that might be some of it, too." Sandusky standout DaShanti Miller took control of the game in the second half. Trailing 12-6 in the first half, Sandusky (3-1, 2-0) scored the last six points of the second quarter to tie things up at the break. Miller — who averaged 15 points and 14 rebounds per game last season — started a 6-0 run to begin the third quarter, with baskets by JaNeece Lee and Quincy Burchett that extended the lead to 18-12. The Blue Streaks took a 23-18 lead into the fourth quarter, which saw Miler score just 12 seconds into the final quarter to give her team their largest lead at 25-18. Norwalk made multiple runs at the Streaks, and back-to-back baskets off steals in transition by Brooklyn Davis and Janel Jubak tied the game at 29 with 3:29 left. But just eight seconds later, Miller scored inside to put the Streaks back ahead. Amiyah Sturdivant then scored her lone points of the night with 47.8 seconds left to put Sandusky up 33-29. Davis scored again with 34.9 seconds left to pull Norwalk with two, but fouled with 19 seconds left, Miller made both foul shots to put the Streaks ahead 35-31. She finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and six steals in the game. The Truckers got an inside basket from Elena Barber with 12.5 seconds left, and then fouled Sandusky's Burchett with 7.2 seconds left. Burchett missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw, but a last-ditch corner 3-point attempt by Summer Moehlman was off the mark for Norwalk to seal the win for the Streaks. "I think this was the first time since the Perkins game (45-39 win on Dec. 5) that I felt like we were engaged defensively and made the other team work for everything they got," Manlet said. "I thought our defense kept us in the game, and I hope it continues because that's the kind of defense we are capable of playing." Barber finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for Norwalk, which hosts Tiffin Columbian on Tuesday. Davis added six points and seven rebounds, while Jubak also had six points. "It's not about wins and losses for us right now, we simply have to get better," Manlet said. "Whatever happened in the last three weeks or so, we have to figure it out. Something has happened. There are a lot of things that factor into how you play on the floor, and I think as soon as we get that stuff figured out we will see a different team — and today was the first step toward that. "Hopefully we can build off it and keep going. I just want them to play that hard. If we play that hard, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win games like tonight." SANDUSKY (3-1, 2-0) Quincy Burchett 2-1—5; Myasia Matthews 1-0—2; Amiyah Sturdivant 3-0—6; JaNeece Lee 2-0—5; DaShanti Miller 5-7—17. TOTALS 13-8—35. NORWALK (4-5, 1-3) Joscey Thomas 0-2—2; Elena Barber 3-6—12; Janel Jubak 2-2—6; Kylie Moser 2-0—4; Brooklyn Davis 3-0—6; Summer Moehlman 1-0—3. TOTALS 11-10—33. Sandusky 3 9 11 12 — 35 Norwalk 2 10 6 15 — 33 3-point FGs: (S) Lee; (N) Moehlman JV: Sandusky, 25-20