MADISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — If Ontario wants to see a replay of its come-from-behind 58-46 win over Madison, maybe Kidron Stamper can host a watch party.
Stamper, a senior at Ontario, hit a half-court shot to win a 55-inch television between games at the Richland Source NOL-OCC Challenge at Madison Middle School on Saturday, then watched the Warriors rally from a halftime deficit to complete the Northern Ohio League’s four-game weekend sweep of the Ohio Cardinal Conference.
Stamper and Madison sophomore Blake Dinsmore were selected to participate in the promotional giveaway. Each student had one shot from midcourt. Stamper shot first and hit nothing but net.
“I took one practice shot in (Madison’s) auxiliary gym before I came out,” Stamper said after being mobbed on the court by fellow Ontario students.
Second-Half Surge: As for the game, Nashail Shelby did her best Stamper impersonation early in the third quarter. The sophomore connected on a long 3-pointer to erase a 24-22 halftime deficit.
“We had an interesting halftime talk,” Ontario coach Sarah Krichbaum said. “We just came out with a little more defensive intensity, which translated into some offense for us.
“I thought we did well scoring out of transition. We got some points off of our press.”
Shelby scored 10 of her game-high 27 points in the third as the Warriors (4-3) outscored the Rams (0-10) 18-6.
“She got into four trouble early, so she had to sit for a while,” Krichbaum said. “She did a nice job in the second half.”
Scoring Outburst: A night after falling behind Norwalk 21-0 in the first quarter and trailing 41-12 at the half, Madison came to life Saturday. The Rams led 14-13 after the first quarter and 24-22 at the break.
“The girls made shots around the basket, rebounded well and played solid defense in the first half,” Madison coach Brian Davis said. “Then we started to get into some foul trouble and had to use some combinations we wouldn’t normally use.”
Leaders: Amanda Nething backed Shelby with 10 points for the Warriors. Madeline Collins added eight and Olivia Shaver had seven.
Brooklyn Gross led Madison with 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Tara Andrews had 11 points, while Rylie Shaffer added nine and Brooklyn Arnold had seven.
No Rest: The Warriors will play their third game in four days Monday when they visit Crestview.
“We don’t normally play back-to-back games. I think it’s good for us, especially leading up to Christmas when we’ll have a couple days off. It’s a good experience.” Krichbaum said. “We have a deeper bench this year than we had last year. We play enough girls that it shouldn’t be an issue.”
Still Searching: Madison is at West Holmes on Tuesday, then will have a two-week break before hosting Mansfield Senior on Jan. 7.
““I know the girls are a little frustrated, but they are working hard,” Davis said. “We’re eventually going to put four quarters together.”
