By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
PAW PAW—The third quarter was the turning point in the girls basketball teams from Otsego and Paw Paw on Friday, Feb. 21.
More accurately, the final portion of the third quarter was the turning point.
With the Bulldogs leading 43-36 midway through the third stanza, Paw Paw embarked on a 17-2 run to go up 53-45 on the way to the 71-60 win.
The Red Wolves also scored the first six points of the final frame to push the lead to 59-45.
“We kept fighting but ultimately couldn’t get it under double digits the rest of the game,” Otsego coach Tony Koshar said. “I felt like we were in good position, but Paw Paw made some nice plays and we had some breakdowns defensively that aren’t normal for us. We also didn’t finish well around the rim and that cost us.”
Brooke Smalldon paced Otsego with 15 points to go with six rebounds and three assists. Reagen Engbers added 10 points and three steals, while Tessa Prough and Audrey Lingbeek went for nine points each.
Lingbeek also dished out a team-high four assists and matched Engbers for team-best honors in steals with three.
Otsego fell behind 9-2 to start the game and trailed 16-12 at the end of the first quarter before bouncing back to take a 29-24 halftime lead.
On Tuesday, Feb. 18, Otsego bested Sturgis 53-41behind a game-topping 24 points and eight steals from Smalldon
“It was a good game for us on the road against an excellent Sturgis team that had been winning a lot lately,” Koshar said.
Otsego led 9-6 after one quarter and 23-13 at the half.
Sturgis rallied in the third quarter and eventually narrowed Otsego’s lead to a single point at 38-37 early in the fourth quarter. But the Bulldogs closed the game on a 15-4 run to pull away.
Lingbeek finished with 10 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists, while Prough had nine points, eight rebounds and five blocks.
