ANSONIA – The Ansonia Lady Tigers put the game away early, exploding for a 51-9 halftime lead before coasting to a 68-16 non-conference victory over the visiting Union City, Ind. Lady Indians.
“I am very proud of how the girls played in the first half,” said Ansonia head coach Connor Custenborder. “In the second half, we told them to slow down a little bit. The first half was us playing our brand of basketball – and we did that.”
Ansonia wasted little time setting the tone, placing seven players in the scoring column during the opening quarter while building a 24-point first-period advantage. Charlotte Barga led the way with seven points in the opening frame as the Lady Tigers overwhelmed Union City with defensive pressure and transition offense.
The Lady Tigers turned it up even more in the second quarter, pouring in 27 points to extend the margin to 51-9 at the break. Autumn Best paced Ansonia with 10 second-quarter points, triggering a running clock for the entirety of the second half.
“A few times this year we played teams with a little bit of a worse record than ours and we played down to their level of competition,” Custenborder noted. “We didn’t do that tonight. We played our brand of basketball for a half.”
With the outcome firmly in hand, Custenborder eased off the throttle after halftime, using the final two quarters to rotate players and manage minutes. Ansonia scored 10 points in the third quarter and seven in the fourth while maintaining control throughout.
“I’m not a huge fan of the running clock,” Custenborder said. “It does take playing time away. We sub kids in, and it feels like a foul or a free throw takes a few minutes off the clock.”
The second half, however, provided valuable experience for the entire roster as every Lady Tiger saw meaningful time on the floor.
As the season moves past its midpoint, Custenborder acknowledged his focus is beginning to shift toward OHSAA tournament play with nine regular-season games remaining.
“You always have to be looking ahead, especially being out of the conference race with three conference losses,” he said. “The tournament is what really matters right now.”
Charlotte Barga and Rose Barga shared game-high scoring honors with 19 points apiece, while Autumn Best added 12 points in her continued return from injury.
“Autumn played really well,” Custenborder said. “Getting her back from injury was great, and she had double figures. You always know you’re going to get 15 to 20 from Rose and Charlotte – they’re super consistent and always working at it.”
Custenborder also praised the overall team effort, noting strong contributions from Olivia Creager, Shyann McKenna, and Brianna Waymire, who logged extended minutes and made the most of their opportunities.
“All of our girls played well,” he said. “It was a good team win.”
BOX SCORE:
ANSONIA 68, UNION CITY 16
ANSONIA – C. Barga 19, R. Barga 19, A. Best 12, O. Creager 7, L. Hahn 6, S. McKenna 2, B. Waymire 2, A. Wendel 1 – TOTALS 21 8-14 6 68
UNION CITY – S. Kobus 4, U. Gorrotxateqi, 3, A. Smith 2, C. Kerns 2, N. Mote 2, S. Emrick 2, A. Reichard 1 – TOTALS 4 8-14 0 16
3-POINTERS
Ansonia 6 (L. Hahn 2, R. Barga 2, C. Barga 1, O. Creager 1)
Union City 0
SCORE by QUARTERS
24-27-10-07 68 Ansonia
05-04-03-04 16 Union City
