GREEN, Ohio — With one of its key starters missing, Wadsworth's girls basketball team was looking for someone to step up Wednesday and Robyn Rotterschmidt stood tall. The Ashland recruit gave Wadsworth (5-2, 4-0) its first win at Green since the 2006-07 season in a game where the squad needed every second to outlast the Bulldogs, 48-47.
GREEN, Ohio — With one of its key starters missing, Wadsworth's girls basketball team was looking for someone to step up Wednesday and Robyn Rotterschmidt stood tall.
The Ashland recruit gave Wadsworth (5-2, 4-0) its first win at Green since the 2006-07 season in a game where the squad needed every second to outlast the Bulldogs, 48-47.
"We talked about second chances and relying on each other down the stretch," Grizzlies coach Andrew Booth said. "When you're down three with Logan [Pastor] on the other team, you might be in trouble, but we found a way."
Actually, the 6-1 Rotterschmidt found a way.
Down one with 18 seconds left, the Grizzlies' Sharlee Bailey drove the right side of the lane, but her shot found iron.
Rotterschmidt (team-high 11 points, four rebounds) trailed on the play and was there for the putback with 7.1 seconds left.
"I was ready," Rotterschmidt said. "I knew I had to come in and be a leader. This win feels great. To win at their place, this is really big and shows us a lot."
Up by seven at two different points and without starting guard Christy Cingel (concussion), the Grizzlies trailed, 47-44, at the 1:14 mark of the fourth quarter.
But Bowling Green recruit Pastor and Erika Rector missed the front end of one-and-ones to breathe life into Wadsworth.
Taylor Woods (11 points, team-high seven rebounds, three assists) cut it to one with 38 seconds left to set up Rotterschmidt's heroics after Rector's miss at the free-throw line.
"You have to make free throws," Green coach Lynn Wess said. "You have to make layups. It's the little things."
The Bulldogs had one last shot to win it, but Pastor's 40-foot heave at the buzzer was off the mark.
Playing in her first significant action since a back injury, Lydia Corle led Green with 16 points, while Morgan Jackson finished with 12 and Pastor had 10.
The lead changed hands 13 times as the teams took turns going on runs.
"This one's pretty big with the way the league is going to shake out," Booth said. "It was so intense that the game was a little ragtag."
Green (4-3, 3-1) will get its chance for redemption Feb. 2 at Wadsworth.
Brad Bournival is a freelance writer in North Royalton.