Kelly edges Delta in OT

DELTA -- Kelly girls basketball coach Rod McQuerter preaches teamwork to the Hawks, and that teamwork was evident in Kelly's late rally Thursday without star guard Kelly Essner.

After Essner fouled out, the Hawks rallied from a four-point deficit to edge Delta 61-59 in overtime.

"Essner has been an integral part of our team," McQuerter said. "She handles the pressure very well, but our girls understand that without Kelly Essner, we're still a team. Essner had a great first half, but you don't play the second half, someone else steps up.

"That's why we preach team everyday, we're not a one-person team, we're a team of 15 girls."

Trailing 47-43 when Essner picked up her fifth foul on a charging call with 3:13 left in regulation, the Hawks picked up the defensive intensity, and sophomore Nikki Weiny gave Kelly (19-4) a big lift off the bench in Essner's absence. Weiny hit 3 of 4 free throws to keep the Hawks close. After Kaci Menz made a backdoor layup to push Delta (17-5) up 51-48, Leigh Ann Buchheit banked in a 3-pointer to tie the game with less than 2 minutes left.

The Bobcats regained control after Ashley Deprow made a layup with 34 seconds left for a 55-51 lead, but struggles from the free throw line cost Delta. Deprow and Menz both missed free throws and Weiny's deep bucket tied the game with 4 seconds left to send the game into overtime.

After Weiny made a jumper from the middle of the lane with more than a minute left in overtime to give Kelly a 61-57 lead, the Hawks held off a late surge by the Bobcats. Deprow missed a jumper and Shea Smith's last-ditch effort within a crowd of Hawks was blocked as time expired.

While Kelly survived her late absence, Essner dominated the first half of the game, scoring 18 of her game-high 24 points. She hit three 3-pointers and a late transition layup gave Kelly a 29-22 halftime lead. Delta committed 12 turnovers in the half.

With Essner controlling play in the first half and Delta struggling to handle Kelly's full court pressure, the Hawks were in control. However, the Bobcats used an efficient offense utilizing backdoor cuts to negate the Kelly pressure and climb back into the game.

"We didn't make any changes. We just settled down and ran our offense the way we're capable of running it," Delta coach Randall White said. "You have to read the defense, and the kids did a good job of that at times."

Smith led Delta with 17 points. Menz added 16 and Deprow 14.

Buchheit scored 10 for the Hawks.

KELLY 61, DELTA 59

Kelly 19 10 10 16 6 -- 61

Delta 14 8 17 16 4 -- 59

KELLY (61) -- Amber Dirnberger 2, Jessica Burnett 6, Brittany Ponder 8, Kelly Essner 24, Leigh Ann Buchheit 10, Rachel Kline 2, Kayla Cissell 2, Nikki Weiny 7. FG 22, FT 12-16, F 20 (3-pointers: Essner 3, Buchheit 2. Fouled out: Essner)

DELTA (59) -- Sarah Cook 8, Shea Smith 17, Ashley Deprow 14, Rachel Ware 2, Kaci Menz 16, Kacie Seabaugh 2. FG 22, FT 12-23, F 14 (3-pointers: Menz 2, Smith 1. Fouled out: none)

JV -- Delta 36, Kelly 30