As far as Mount Gilead girls’ basketball coach Bob Scott was concerned, on Tuesday, Worthington Christian showed why they were named the top seed in the Central District tournament.

In topping his team 73-20 in the district finals that night, the Warriors scored early and often and kept the Indians from getting into a rhythm.

“They shoot the ball and they shot lights out,” said Scott. “We had to do some things to try to slow them down. Obviously, we didn’t do it very well. They’re not the number one seed for nothing.”

MG’s Madilyn Elson got off to a good start for her team, putting up three baskets for six points in the first quarter. However, the Indians only got a basket from Isabela Schroeter to supplement Elson’s contributions during that time.

Meanwhile, the Warriors hit four three-pointers in the period — three by sophomore Megan Weakley — and also got six points by Blessing King in opening up a 24-8 lead after eight minutes.

Scott was pleased with Elson’s efforts in the game. Her six points led the team and she also ran the point against the aggressive Warrior defense.

“I thought Madilyn Elson had a whale of a game,” he said. “I thought she did a decent job getting by them.”

The Indians showed signs of life early in the second period and were able to get within 12 points. Kylie Irwin hit one-of-two free throws to open the quarter and then scored on a outback. After a Warrior basket, Kaitlynn Pfeifer drained a three-pointer to make it 26-14 with 5:51 left in the period.

Unfortunately for the team, they would only get a Holly Gompf basket over the remainder of the quarter. Meanwhile, Worthington Christian tallied 19 points, including eight by Katherine Weakley and six by King.

Trailing 45-16 going into the third, MG struggled to get shots off and watched their opponents add 15 points to their lead.

While both Emarah Miller and Irwin scored in the fourth quarter, the Warriors continued to add to their advantage in ending MG’s season. Despite the disappointing conclusion to the year, Scott was pleased with his team’s season and has hopes his underclassmen can continue to grow and build upon their success next year.

“I’m pretty sure they didn’t expect us to win 16 games again this year,” Scott said of his squad that lost a pair of multi-year starters in Dakota Shipman and All-Ohioan Madison Fitzpatrick from the 2019-20 team. “We had a girl (Gompf) get her 1000th point this year. It’s a learning experience. Hopefully, they’ll do that and move on and get better next year.”

Mount Gilead’s Emarah Miller prepares to shoot in her team’s district semifinal contest at Worthington Christian.
https://www.morrowcountysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2021/02/web1_miller.jpgMount Gilead’s Emarah Miller prepares to shoot in her team’s district semifinal contest at Worthington Christian. Rob Hamilton | Morrow County Sentinel

By Rob Hamilton

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Rob Hamilton can be reached at 419-946-3010, ext. 1807. Connect with him on Twitter at @SportsMCS