Lady Oracles fall in sectional
By Todd Swank

The Lady Oracles basketball team fell behind early and couldn't catch back up to the Seeger Patriots in the first round of the Fountain Central Sectional, losing by a final score of 50-39. Several times the girls would chase down the Patriots and be within a basket of tying the game or taking the lead, but were unable to get a key basket when they needed it most.

It took nearly two minutes for either team to score when Brianne Stauffer hit one of two free throws for a 1-0 Delphi lead. Seeger found the range and scored the next eight points before the Oracles' Erika Hawn finally scored their first bucket. A basket and free throw by Seeger made the score 11-3 with five minutes gone in the game. Delphi pulled to within 14-8 at the end of one. Hawn and Stauffer had scored all of Delphi's points.

The second period started much like the first with neither team able to score for over three minutes. Hawn put a rebound back up for a basket and Stauffer hit three of four free throws to close the gap to two at 16-13. Delphi eventually fell behind 23-16 before settling for a halftime deficit of six, 24-18. At the end of both the first and second periods the Oracles had the ball with ten seconds left. Neither time did they notice and did not get a shot off.

For the third time the Oracles were first to score in a quarter when they opened the second half with a pair of free throws by Stauffer. The teams traded buckets with the Oracles having a two-point deficit a couple times before trailing 35-31 at the end of three.

Emily Kayser scored for the Oracles to open the fourth, pulling the Oracles to within two. Two more Stauffer free throws after a Seeger basket again put the Oracles a pair down, 37-35. Delphi trailed by two once more at 39-37 after Hawn sank two free throws. It all fell apart at this time as the Patriots scored 11 in a row for a 50-37 lead with less than one minute left in the game.

Ultimately, the Oracles' failure to block out on the defensive boards cost them a chance to advance to the second round. Numerous offensive rebounds by the Patriots, including two on missed free throws, led to at least a dozen second chance points. Though the girls didn't have a stellar win-loss record, they played hard every game and can be proud of the fact that they gave their all this season.