Turnovers determine fate of Lady Oracles
By Todd Swank Contributing sportswriter

Delphi's long holiday layoff from game action didn't hurt their shooting. The Lady Oracles shot 42% from the field and 36% from 3 pt. range. But what was evident, the inactivity hurt their offensive flow and timing. The Lady Devils of Tipton easily defeated the Delphi's girls 63-40 by taking advantage of Oracle turnovers.

The Lady Devils were so dominating that the Oracles managed only 12 shots in the first half. Comparing that number to the 24 turnovers committed by Delphi in the opening half (33 for the game), it usually means that you are not going to win.

The game started with the Oracles already behind 5-0 before they could even get a shot off, the result of three turnovers. When the Oracles did get a shot off they weren't hitting early, sinking 1 of 6 shots. That one basket was a three pointer by Erika Hawn as the buzzer sounded to make the score 17- 3 at the end the first period.

The second quarter was much like the first with the Oracles hitting on 1 of 6 shots while committing 10 TOs. Hawn hit on 1 of 2 free throws followed by a Kristina Barnard basket put the score at 30-6 shortly before the half. In the last minute Hawn had four more opportunities at the free throw line and hit two. The score at half was 36-8.

The Oracles came out in the third period and started to play basketball the way they know how. A victory may have been out of reach, but the girls could play for pride and how to deal with pressure defenses for future games. They were a lot more careful with the ball while raising their shooting percentage, hitting 13 of 24 in the second half and only committing 9 turnovers. The third period ended at 51-22, but Delphi was outscored by only a point, 15-14. Kayla Yates Hannah Strasser and Hawn each had four points in the quarter.

Both coaches used a lot of bench in the final period. The Oracles finished the game by outscoring Tipton 18-12 for a final score of 63-40.

The Tipton JV team used a 10-2 run in the third quarter to break away from a 17 all tie at the half to defeat the Oracles 33-23.

The Delphi Oracles fall to 4- 9 (0-3 in the Hoosier Conference) for the season.