Girls Basketball: Big Walnut outlasts Canal Winchester to stay in league lead
Friday, January 12, 2024
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Big Walnut’s Teagen Ng (15) and her teammates celebrate the Golden Eagles’ 43-37 home win over Canal Winchester Jan. 12. Photo: Kevin Lam
It’s hard to find a rhythm when the whistle is constantly blowing. In a battle of two of the top three teams in the OCC-Capital Division, the Big Walnut girls basketball team emerged through 40 combined fouls to beat Canal Winchester 43-37 on Jan. 12 in Sunbury.
The Golden Eagles improved to 13-2 overall and 7-1 in league play to remain tied with Westerville South at the top after its 38-37 win over Worthington Kilbourne. Big Walnut is trying to win its first league title since 1998 when coach Carey Largent was a player.
Canal, which defeated Big Walnut 51-39 on Nov. 30, fell to 11-3 overall and 7-2 in the league.
“I don’t know if we ever found a rhythm,” Largent said. “I told the girls at halftime that this was the type of game where you have to grit it and grind it out because we’re not getting calls and everyone is foul trouble. I told them these were the games you have to find a way to win. So, we’re just happy to be on (the winning) side of an ugly game.”
Big Walnut was held without a field goal for 8 minutes, 6 seconds of the first half as Canal built a 16-7 lead.
Teagan Ng scored on back-to-back possessions to end the drought and jump-start Big Walnut.
Big Walnut’s Remy Largent (12) drives against Canal Winchester’s Lily Kissinger during the Golden Eagles’ home win Jan. 12. Photo: Kevin Lam
“We just honestly needed to keep fighting because if we back off, (Canal) sees that weakness,” the senior post player said. “We just had to keep going at them. (Our struggles on offense) made us buckle down on defense that much more and that was a huge part of the game for us.”
Ng, who will play volleyball at West Liberty next fall, had 13 points and nine rebounds to lead the Eagles.
“She’s an athlete,” Largent said. “She jumps, she rebounds and she just plays hard. She’s played basketball since she was little, but she’s always specialized in volleyball. She has good touch around the basket. She has the ability to be a big contributor.”
Despite all the fouls called, only two players fouled out of the game.
Denza Allen added 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a pair of steals, but fouled out in the fourth quarter for the Eagles.
Lily Kissinger, who led Canal with eight points and nine rebounds and added three assists, also fouled out.
The Eagles held Canal to just one field goal in the second quarter and three more in the third as they made their comeback and took the lead. It was a simple change in defense that led to Big Walnut’s change in fortune.
Remy Largent had 11 points and eight steals, Lexi Federer dished out six assists, Maddy Stumpf had seven rebounds and Kam Pry came off the bench and pulled down three rebounds for Big Walnut, who had 16 steals and forced 22 turnovers.
Canal Winchester’s Michaela Dunn (left) looks to pass during the Indians’ game at Big Walnut Jan. 12. Photo: Kevin Lam
“We got out of our press and we got out of (man-to-man) and went to a zone,” Largent said. “We put in (Pry), who is our scrappy soccer player, and she gave us a lot of energy off the bench. In the third quarter, when they had three (younger players) in because of foul trouble, we started pressing again … and that was a boost.”
Michaela Dunn had seven points, five rebounds and three assists and London Johnson also had seven points and added six rebounds and three steals.
But Johnson picked up her fourth foul early in the third quarter and spent most of the second half on the bench.
Kylie Long also had seven points and added three rebounds and Pierce Cephas and Annelise Dearth had four rebounds apiece for Canal.
“Obviously, we struggled against the zone and that was a great defensive adjustment for coach (Largent),” Canal coach Johnathan Hedgepeth said. “We had a lot of looks that we passed up. We were not attacking the zone very well. When one of your best players in London Johnson gets (four) fouls and has to sit – it doesn’t help. It was one of those nights where the looks were there and we didn’t make them.”
Both teams finished with 38 rebounds.
Big Walnut’s Denza Allen (24) passes ahead in transition during the Golden Eagles’ home win over Canal Winchester Jan. 12. Photo: Kevin Lam