Adrian sophomore guard Sarah Kruger drives to the basket during Thursday's Red Rock Conference girls' basketball showdown against Fulda in Adrian. Kruger scored 11 points to help AHS down the Raiders 62-55 in overtime and take over first place in the RRC West Division.
By John Rittenhouse
Something had to give when Adrian squared off against Fulda in a girls' basketball game played in Adrian Thursday.
In what was a showdown for the lead in the Red Rock Conference West Divison, the home-standing Dragons pulled out a thrilling 62-55 overtime victory.
Both teams had one league loss entering the clash, which placed extra importance on the outcome. In what proved to be an entertaining game played in front of a big crowd, the Dragons rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to pull out a seven-point win in overtime.
Fulda, which handed the Dragons their lone RRC loss when the teams met in Fulda Nov. 30, appeared to be in control of the game when it turned what was a 30-20 lead at halftime into an 11-point advantage (35-24) in the early stages of the third quarter.
Sparked by a reserve sophomore post, Adrian answered the challenge by outscoring the Raiders 38-20 the rest of the way to take over the division lead by one game.
Maria Gengler, who didn't step on the court in the first half, came up big for the Dragons in the second half and overtime. Her 12-point, seven-rebound effort played a key role in Adrian's second-half rally.
After falling behind by 11 points early in the third quarter, Adrian put together a 6-0 run to pull within five points (35-30) of the Raiders before facing a six-point (40-34) at period's end.
The Dragons dominated play in the early stages of the fourth quarter and tied the game at 42 when Andrea Burzlaff, who paced AHS with 15 points and 12 rebounds, converted a field goal with 5:06 left in regulation play.
Fulda countered with a 5-0 run to regain the lead at 47-42), but Gengler capped a 6-0 Adrian run by draining a field goal at the 1:28 mark to give her team its first lead (48-47) since early in the first quarter.
The Raiders tied the game at 48 before Adrian took a 51-48 advantage with one free throw by Jenna Honermann (with :14.2 remaining) and two more by Sarah Kruger (:06.3). Fulda, however, received new life when Abby Oakland swished a three-point shot right before the horn sounded, setting the stage for a four-minute overtime session.
Adrian clearly was the most aggressive team in overtime as it outscored the Raiders 11-4.
Burzlaff netted six points and Kruger added four of her 11 counters to lead the Dragons in the extra session.
Fulda controlled play in the game's first half.
A 4-0 run gave the Raiders their biggest lead of the first period (12-7) before Honermann scored off an offensive rebound with six seconds remaining to make it a 12-9 game.
A 5-0 run early in the second quarter put the Raiders in front 21-13, and Adrian never got closer than six points in a period that ended with the hosts facing a 30-20 deficit.
Honermann contributed 11 points and nine assists to AdrianÕs cause. Kylie Heronimus came up with four steals.
Box score
Heronimus 4 0 0-2 8, Bo.Bullerman 0 0 0-0 0, Honermann 5 0 1-2 11, Burzlaff 7 0 1-2 15, Henning 0 0 0-0 0, Kruger 2 0 7-10 11, Lonneman 0 0 0-0 0, Gengler 5 0 2-2 12, Knips 1 0 1-2 3, Br.Bullerman 1 0 0-0 2.
Team statistics
Adrian 25 of 64 field goals (39 percent), 12 of 20 free throws (60 percent), 38 rebounds, 15 turnovers.
Fulda: 19 of 65 field goals (35 percent), 14 of 17 free throws (82 percent), 32 rebounds, 20 turnovers.