The Gehlen Catholic girls basketball team scored an upset win in buzzer-beating fashion over No. 12 Akron-Westfield on Friday night by a score of 29-27.
The win for Gehlen Catholic caps off a stretch where they played four games in five days. Considering the nature of the game, and the way in which they won, head coach Brandon Schaecher was proud of the team for getting it done.
The game was certainly not an offensive display with neither team able to crack 30 points. The Westerners fell victim to a rough start scoring just four points in the first quarter and 10 points total for the first half. Head coach Kent Johnson says the offense could not get going, but the defense kept the Westerners in the game.
The Westerners were very strong in the second half especially in the third quarter. Akron-Westfield did not allow Gehlen Catholic to score in the third quarter at all. Coach Johnson says that could have been more impactful had the offense come around too.
A late Akron-Westfield free throw tied the game in the fourth quarter, and the Jays had the ball with a chance to win it. Gehlen turned to their leading scorer for the game in Addi Castle who came through with a layup as the buzzer rang to win the game. The basket came after scoring eight quick points to start the game but failing to score until the game-winner. Coach Schaecher says she needed a boost of confidence, and this should certainly give that to her.
The Westerners fell to 0-2 on the season after being ranked in the top ten in the preseason poll. The Westerners have been without Makenzie Hughes to start the year due to injury, but they still need to get their offense rolling while she is out. Coach Johnson says that will be the focus in getting ready for their next games.
The Jays are now 3-3 following the win. It was one of those games where the Jays just simply found a way to win. Coach Schaecher says these are the kinds of games that can bring a team closer together.
Gehlen Catholic is next in action on Tuesday at Hinton. The Westerners head to Kingsley today to take on Kingsley-Pierson.
