Slow start costs Willard at Upper

UPPER SANDUSKY — Willard could not have drawn up a worse start. The Crimson Flashes missed the first seven shots they took while Upper Sandusky was on point from the get-go. Sixth-seeded Willard mustered just nine field goals on the night while committing 20 turnovers in a 45-21 Division III sectional final loss to the No. 4 Rams. "We just had a hard time getting going," Willard coach Alanna Bedingfield said. "Their press gave us trouble. We didn't have people in the right spots. We weren't connecting on each other. We weren't connecting defensively. We weren't connecting offensively." The Flashes finish the season 12-12. "This game isn't really a reflection of the growth they've had over the season," Bedingfield said. "They've come a long way. We had a lot of personal improvement in a lot of players that are very young and don't have any varsity experience." Grace Walton was hot from the start for Upper Sandusky (16-7). She made three free throws and then a triple for the only points in the first five minutes of the game. Brooke Finscally scored before Walton's 3-pointer gave the Rams an 11-0 lead. Finscally split two free throws to further the lead before Corrin Gettys scored at the buzzer for Willard. Two triples from Addy Newman in the second quarter helped the Rams open an 18-4 lead. Upper Sandusky was ahead 22-8 at halftime. Madison Hart knocked down two free throws before a 3 from Newman pushed the lead to 27-8 in the third quarter. The Rams took a 31-12 lead into the fourth quarter. Tallies from Hart and Ellee Ham in the first minute of the quarter ballooned the lead to 35-12. Upper Sandusky won a meeting earlier this season between the two, 45-37, but that was way back on Nov. 28. "That was their first game of the year and our third," Upper head coach Jerry Vent said. "I went back and watched the film. There's some tendencies I noticed in that game. They've been playing different lately. We pretty much knew they'd try to post up our zone, so we went over that all week." Willard made just 9-of-29 shots. The Flashes were 1-of-11 from 3 and shot just two free throws. "Once we did get it down the court, we couldn't get our shots to fall," Bedingfield said. "I thought we were getting good looks at the basket. We just couldn't get them to fall. That's always frustrating too." Walton finished with 20 points while Newman scored 10. Finscally added seven points for Upper Sandusky. Gettys paced Willard with eight points. Makinley Schaffer is the lone senior for the Flashes. "I really thank Makinley for all the hard work she's put in this year," Bedingfield said. "Not just this year, but her whole career. She's been a great asset to this team and teams that came before. We're going to miss her next year for sure." WILLARD (12-12) Camryn Wiers 1-0—2, Reese Bedingfield 2-0—4, Makinley Schaffer 1-0—2, Caitlyn Weaver 1-0—3, Leah Weiss 1-0—2, Corrin Gettys 3-2—8. TOTALS 9-2—21. UPPER SANDUSKY (16-7) Addy Newman 3-1—10, Grace Walton 4-9—20, Brooke Finscally 3-1—7, Ellee Ham 2-0—4, Madison Hart 1-2—4. TOTALS 13-13—45. Willard 2 6 4 9 — 21 U. Sandusky 12 10 9 14 — 45 3-point FGs: (W) Weaver; (US) Newman 3, Walton 3