Girls basketball: Buckeye Central falls to Columbus Grove in region semifinals

0

ELIDA — Columbus Grove rallied from an 8-point halftime deficit to upend Buckeye Central in the Division IV girls Region 14 semifinals.

The Bulldogs (19-7) knocked off the Buckettes 47-38 on Thursday evening at Elida High School to set up a regional championship contest against Convoy Crestview on Saturday. Crestview eliminated Toledo Christian 54-41 on Thursday at Elida.

Trailing 26-18 at halftime, Columbus Grove locked down defensively in the second half, outscoring Buckeye Central 29-12 over the final two periods. The Bulldogs held the Buckettes to just three points in the third quarter.

Claudia Pifher of Buckeye Central knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Buckettes a 29-18 cushion, but then Columbus Grove went on an 11-0 run to close out the period and pull to within 29-27 heading into the final quarter.

Pifher connected on two shots early in the fourth quarter to give Buckeye Central a 33-27 advantage. However, Columbus Grove rallied once again, outscoring the Buckettes 16-0 to build a 43-33 lead. Buckeye Central (23-3) cut the deficit to seven points, but could get no closer.

Columbus Grove connected on 14-of-15 free throws. Buckeye Central didn’t shoot any foul shots.

Pifher led Buckeye Central with 15 points. Taylor Ratliff added nine points and Kyleigh Brown scored eight points.

Erin Downing led Columbus Grove with 18 points and Kenzie King tallied 15 points.

Convoy Crestview 54, Toledo Christian 41

Olivia Cunningham scored 19 points and Bailey Gregory added 16 points to lead Convoy Crestview to a 54-41 win over Toledo Christian in the Division IV Region 16 semifinals on Thursday at Elida High School.

Crestview (22-3) built a 29-16 lead at halftime, but Toledo Christian rallied in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 35-32 by the end of the period. Crestview regained control in the final period, outscoring Toledo Christian 19-9 to seal the win.

Cat Jones led Toledo Christian (13-6) with 17 points. Mackenzie Royal-Davis added 10 points.

Division IV Region Semifinals

Region 14

At Elida High School

Thursday, March 4

Columbus Grove 47, Buckeye Central 38

Convoy Crestview 54, Toledo Christian 41

Region Final

Saturday, March 6

Columbus Grove vs Convoy Crestview

Region 16

At Vandalia Butler High School

Thursday, March 4

New Madison Tri-Village 53, Legacy Christian 42

Fort Loramie 47, Minster 36

Region Final

Saturday, March 6

New Madison Tri-Village vs Fort Loramie

Region 15

At Chillicothe Southeastern High School

Thursday, March 4

Waterford 55, Newark Catholic 48

Peebles 56, Berne Union 51

Region Final

Saturday, March 6

Waterford vs Berne Union

Region 13

At Massillon Perry High School

Thursday, March 4

Shadyside 70, Loudonville 57

McDonald 57, Berlin Center Western Reserve 25

Region Final

Saturday, March 6

Shadyside vs McDonald

OHSAA Division IV State Semifinals

University of Dayton Arena

Thursday, March 11

Region 14 vs Region 16

Region 15 vs Region 13

State Final

Saturday, March 13

Semifinal winners

https://www.galioninquirer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2021/03/web1_BASKETBALL-HOOP-IMAGE.jpg

Staff Report

Follow @GalionInquirer on Twitter.

No posts to display