Fast start for Norwalk in Lake rout

The Norwalk offense wreaked havoc in the first half for Tiffin Columbian. Between freshman Jo Jackson scoring 21 points on the night and causing 18 turnovers in the first half, it was more of a night of capitalization for the Truckers team. Norwalk defeated Columbian 56-30 in Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division play on Thursday in Tiffin. "We played four quarters tonight, but only three of them were really good," Norwalk coach Kyle Brubaker said. "One of them lost focus a little bit and got sloppy on the floor. Getting a road victory in our league is never easy, and I have a ton of respect for what Morgan is doing here." That quarter was the third quarter where Columbian (4-4, 0-3) only allowed the Truckers (5-1, 3-0) to score four points. The Truckers had the ball from the start of the game up until 2:52 on the clock, when Trinity Lazzara fouled Lexi Beaston. In those six minutes, Norwalk put together a 14-point run. Alyssa Guhlke kicked off the run with a 3-point shot, and Jackson made a bucket. Tiffin took a timeout, but then Maddy Richie fouled Lazzara, who split her pair, and Richie fouled Alyssa Gruhlke, who made both. From there, Emmie Leber hit the gas, putting up six points. By the end of the first quarter, it was 22-9 with TC in the hole. "I told the girls, you need to decide to play," Harrigan said. "We did that for one quarter." TC held Norwalk to four points. It was two baskets: one from Gruhlke and then Leber on a putback after a timeout was called by TC. "It's human nature when you have a big lead to get lazy," Brubaker said. "I think that's what happened that third quarter. Basketball is such a complementary game that your defense will lead to offense. If you aren't doing that, then it's tough to score." Norwalk came back in the fourth, putting 20 points on the board, most of it being Jacson going on a seven-point run before it was interrupted by Madi Shriver. Later, after a time-out from Tiffin, Leber once again capitalized on turnovers from TC for a four-point run on her and Lazzara, getting Mia Zeis with her fifth foul. Jackson had 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting and six rebounds for the Truckers. Leber had 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks, while Lazzara added eight points and five assists. Norwalk hosts Oregon Clay on Saturday afternoon for a non-league game before heading to Elyria on Dec. 23 to finish play before Christmas. NORWALK (5-1, 3-0) CJ Bennett 1 0—2, Alyssa Gruhlke 2 2—7, Reagan Mooney 1-0—2, Emmie Leber 8-0—16, Trinity Lazzara 24—8, Jo Jackson 9 2—21. TOTALS: 23 8—56. COLUMBIAN (4-4, 0-3) Madi Shriver 2 0—6, Mia Zeis 1 0—2, Marissa Allen 1 0—3, Kenzie Felske 1 0—2, Lexi Beaston 3 6—14 Maddy Richie 1 1—3. TOTALS: 9 7—30. Norwalk 22 10 4 20 — 56 Columbian 9 4 11 6 — 30 3-point FGs: (N) Gruhlke; (TC) Shriver 2, Beaston 2, Allen.