Springfield Seventh-Graders Advance To NLL Quarterfinals
BY ANDREW ROWER — MIRROR SPORTS
Free throw shooting played a big factor last Friday as Springfield’s seventh-grade girls basketball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Northern Lakes League tournament with a 33-20 win over Anthony Wayne at McCord.
The Blue Devils ended up converting 52 percent of their 25 foul shots on the night – netting them a total of 13 points from the line
The Generals, on the other hand, went 4-of-26 in the 13-point loss.
Springfield exploded out of the gate to open the game, scoring the first 10 points on shots by forwards Emma Elder, Sydney Powhida and Merissa Joseph.
Anthony Wayne guard Abby Allen came back to score the last basket of the quarter, kicking off an eight-point unanswered Generals run.
Forwards Clare Keil and Mary Bahr combined to score those eight points to bring Anthony Wayne back within a mere bucket with 3:00 remaining in the second quarter.
The Blue Devils responded with baskets from Elder and Powhida, however, and eventually took to the locker room with a 15-10 halftime lead.
Looking to put the game away as the second half got under way, Joseph, guard Natalie Yoder and Elder came out to score seven of the first eight points of the third.
Now leading 22-11 at the 4:47 mark, Springfield kept its 11-point lead by trading baskets with the Generals through the remainder of the quarter.
The Blue Devils then slammed the door on any Anthony Wayne comeback attempt when Yoder and Joseph pushed the score to 33-18 about two minutes into the fourth.
The Generals got two more points from Bahr as time ran out, but it wasn’t enough.
Elder led all scorers on the night with 12 points and added 11 rebounds and a steal.
Joseph contributed another seven points and eight rebounds, Yoder had six points and five boards and both Powhida (four rebounds, two assists) and guard Hope Geiger (three rebounds, two steals) scored four more points.
Guards Nikki Geiser (two assists, two rebounds) and Brandy Robinson (one steal) and forwards Kaylee Finnen (two rebounds, two steals) and Abbigale McCormick (one rebound) also made contributions to the Springfield win.
Bahr paced Anthony Wayne with nine points, 13 rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots.
Allen (three assists, two steals) and Keil (four rebounds) added three points apiece, Jordan Leupp (six rebounds) and Jacqueline Bonivel (two rebounds) scored two more points each and Erin Connelly totaled a point, two rebounds and a steal.
The Generals also got contributions from forward Alexis Brown (10 rebounds), Autumn Dickey (three rebounds), Amy Hertzfeld (assist, rebound, steal), Lauren Shields (rebound) and Bridget Troliani (steal), despite the loss.

Poor SHS Shooting Performance Allows Lima Senior To Knock Blue Devils Out Of Tournament, 66-48
BY ANDREW ROWER — MIRROR SPORTS
Springfield’s boys basketball season came to an unexpected and disappointing end at Liberty Benton last Tuesday, when the Blue Devils dropped a 66-48 sectional semifinal game to Lima Senior.
Springfield converted only 25 percent of its 65 shots from the floor on the night, going just 8-of-41 without those of sophomore guard LeRoy Alexander.
While Alexander did everything he could to keep the Blue Devils in the game with 23 points, 14 rebounds and two steals, though, it wasn’t enough.
The Spartans took a 13-11 lead on an Anton Hutchins 3-pointer at the end of the opening quarter and never trailed again.
In fact, Lima Senior next blew the game wide open when Hutchins, sophomore guard Tyler White and senior guard Desmond Harvey went on to score 13 of the first 15 shots of the second.
Alexander finally managed to score Springfield’s second bucket of the quarter just before halftime, but it only brought the Blue Devils to within 12 points at the break.
Alexander put up six more points to draw Springfield back within 11 in the first four minutes of the third, but that’s as close as the Blue Devils got.
The Spartans responded with another 17-2 run that saw a trio of 3-pointers from White and freshman Devon Allen and helped Lima Senior to a 48-22 lead to start the fourth.
Springfield clawed its way back within 23 points with Chester McFadden and Dontai Renfroe’s first baskets of the night near the beginning of the quarter and then the Spartans began to pull their starters with 5:37 remaining in the game.
With late buckets by McFadden, Alexander, freshman guard Marquan Hodges, junior forward Zach Zamichow and sophomore forward Caleb Bucher, the Blue Devils went on to outscore Lima 21-14 through the remainder of the game, but it only cut the Spartans’ lead down to 18 by the final buzzer.
Lima Senior committed just 13 turnovers on the night, converted 46 percent of its shots from the floor and went 8-of-10 from the free throw line.
In all, 11 Spartans scored in the game, with Hutchins’ 19 points leading the way. He also pulled down eight rebounds and recorded a trio of assists.
White added 18 points, three rebounds, three steals and three assists and both Kendall Jackson (six rebounds, three steals) and Da’Shon Bates (two rebounds) scored six points.
In addition, senior forwards Jermonte Healy and Tyrone Perry combined for four points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two assists in the Lima Senior win.
McFadden ended up scoring nine points in the fourth quarter and pulled down five rebounds to follow Alexander. Hodges netted seven fourth-quarter points and sophomore forward Nate Mackie ended up with four points and three boards.
Springfield finished its season with an overall mark of 15-6 – the Blue Devils’ best record since the 1997-98 team went 17-5.
The Spartans returned to Liberty Benton to defeat the second-seeded Bowling Green Bobcats (13-8) for the sectional championship last Friday.
BG defeated Springfield twice during the regular season, once on January 5 (65-62) and again on January 22 (64-58).