ADA — Once-beaten and No. 2-ranked Liberty-Benton scored three times for every Delta basket in the first quarter, racing to a quick lead en route to a 62-30 win over the Panthers in the Division III girls basketball regional semifinal game played Tuesday at the Ohio Northern University Athletic Center.
Caitlin Elseser, a 6-foot-3 junior, scored inside for Liberty-Benton to open the game. Alissa Rhodes, Schy Shepherd, and Savanah Richards then hit 3-point baskets, and the Eagles finished the first quarter with a 19-7 lead.
Liberty-Benton led 24-7 early in the second quarter and 32-14 just before the half. The backbreaker for Delta was a 20-3 third-quarter run by Liberty-Benton that boosted the lead to 50-21.
“I can’t say they could not miss in the third quarter, but we could,” Delta coach Ryan Ripke said.
Richards scored 25 points, Shepherd 14, and Elseser 13.
Liberty-Benton (26-1) advances to Saturday’s 6 p.m. regional final at Lexington High School. The Eagles will face the winner of Wednesday’s matchup between defending state champion and top-ranked Columbus Africentric (24-0) and Margaretta (23-2).
Delta, finishing a 22-4 season, was just 1-of-11 on 3-pointers and 12 of 44 from the field overall. The Panthers also had 11 of their shots blocked.
“We knew they were quick and athletic. Size-wise I thought we could match up pretty well with them, but their wingspan and overall quickness gave us problems,” Ripke said.
“Early in the game, we were trying to make a pass inside, and the Richards girl just went up and took it. That’s a perfect example of how they dominated us on the defensive end.
“They were the better team.”
Brooklyn Green and Brooklyn Wymer, two of the three sophomores in Delta’s starting lineup, led the Panthers, Green with 11 points and Wymer with eight.
First Published March 6, 2019, 2:55 a.m.