Redskins top Celina in playoff opener
Sequels can be hitand-miss.
Wapakoneta hit enough shots and got Celina to miss their share, as the Redskins won 37-30 in a Division II sectional game on Tuesday night.
The teams met on the same court back on Feb. 4, with the Redskins pulling out a dramatic 41-40 win.
This time around, the Redskins jumped to a big lead in the first half, and were still up by eight going into the fourth.
Each time the Bulldogs hit a shot in the fourth, Wapakoneta came up with an answer. Most of those were at the free throw line. Wapakoneta made 10 of 11 in the final frame as Celina tried to break up momentum.
The Redskins (13-9) advance to Friday’s sectional final. They will face #2 seed Wauseon. The Indians (17-4) had a bye in the first round.
Coach Trey Elchert of Wapakoneta praised his team’s effort, especially the job by the defense. “We got off to a great start. Defensively, we had on ball pressure and doubled down on the big kid (Josh Rasawehr) inside.”
He noted the Redskins got a little stagnant offensively in the second half, but came through on free throws when needed.
Garrett Siefring and Noah Ambos each scored 11 points for the Redskins. For Celina, Rasawehr had 12 and Quinn Andrew scored 11.
Siefring got matters rolling with a threepointer, and younger brother Kaden scored the second basket.
Then it was back to Garrett, followed by one from Ambos. The points were spread out, but they also kept Celina off the board during this stretch. Rasawehr finally broke through for the Bulldogs, hitting a shot with 45 seconds to go in the period.
The Redskins took it from a seven-point edge up to 15 in the second period. On the first possession, Ambos had a three-point shot rattle out. Braeden Goulet pulled down the rebound. He tried a short shot and missed, but got the board again. The ball was worked back out to Ambos, who connected that time.
Zach Rogers and Kaden Siefring then hit shots (Siefring’s worth three) and the ‘Skins were up 17-2.
A turnaround jumper by Rasawehr was Celina’s first points with 3:30 to go in the half.
Grant Bauer made a leaning shot from the side of the hoop for Wapakoneta. Rasawehr would score once more to account for all his team’s first half points. At the break, Wapakoneta led 19-6.
Garrett Siefring hit a shot early in the third period.
But that would be Wapakoneta’s last points for several minutes. Celina got a bucket by Quade Gilmore, then a pair of threepointers from Quinn Andrew about 90 seconds apart, cutting the gap to seven, 21-14.
With under three minutes to go, Garrett Siefring poked the ball away from Reeves Black. He took it down the court, and drew a foul. Both free throws were good.
The only other scoring in the rest of the period was on a foul shot by Celina’s Jack Duncan.
Neither team scored for the first 3 1/2 minutes of the final period. The Redskins then showed off their passing abilities. Rogers set up Ambos for one score, then Kaden Siefring dished to Rogers.
Andrew made a three for Celina with three minutes to go.
Ambos responded with a pair of free throws.
As each team entered the “bonus” situation, time became precious. Celina got two free throws by Rasawehr and then a shot from the big man to make it 29-22 with 1:20 to play.
The final stretch saw Garrett Siefring, Peyton Debell, Rogers and Ambos make their way to the line as Celina tried to save seconds. Each of those players made both shots to counter scores by Celina.
The final two were by Ambos, who had the winning free throws in the Feb. 4 contest. At the horn, Wapakoneta had the win by seven.
Game Notes
In other tournament play on Tuesday, Elida edged Kenton 69-66 and Napoleon downed Bryan 52-33.
Besides Wauseon and Wapakoneta, other sectional final games on Friday will be: Elida at Shawnee; Van Wert at Defiance and Napoleon at St. Marys.
Score by quarters
Celina 2 4 9 15 -- 30
Wapakoneta9 10 4 14 -- 37
CELINA (30)
Nick Adams 0-0-0-0-0; Jack Duncan 0-01-2-1; Reeves Black 1-0-0-0-2; Quade Gilmore 1-0-0-0-2; Connor Nuding 0-0-0-0-0; Dylan Feister 1-0-0-0-2; Quinn Andrew 1-3-0-0-11; Josh Rasawehr 4-04-4-12; TOTALS 8-3-5-6-30.
WAPAKONETA (37)
Noah Ambos 2-1-4-4-11; Zach Rogers 2-0-2-3-6; Kaden Siefring 1-1-0-0-5; Braeden Goulet 0-0-0-2-0; Mason Longsworth 0-0-0-0-0; Peyton Debell 0-0-2-2-2; Grant Bauer 1-0-0-0-2; Jackson Courter 0-0-0-0-0; Logan Crow 0-0-0-0-0; Landon Brandt 0-0-0-0-0; John Buchanan 0-0-0-0-0; Garrett Siefring 2-1-4-4-11; TOTALS 8-3-12-15-37