UPPER SANDUSKY - For a while, the number of Lucas fans outnumbered its team's points, which when you have less than a dozen fans in the stands, that's not a good thing.
What wasn't a good thing for Lucas was a great thing for the Rams as Upper Sandusky dunked the Cubs, 58-21, in the North Central Conference matchup.
Lucas didn't have a field goal until the second quarter when Jackie Sauder dropped in a 3-pointer but by that point, the Rams were in control 20-8. By halftime, it was 36-13 and smooth sailing for the Rams (5-1, 2-0 NCC).
Lucas coach Nathan Lautzenhiser said it's tough to simulate Upper's speed in practice.
"Upper Sandusky's my pick to be NCC champions and they showed it right there," he said. "They're a really, really fast team. They have so many threats, it's hard to cover them all."
Upper Sandusky coach Brent Fahle didn't care who the opponent was, he said the game plan is the same.
Fact Box
| Upper Sandusky 58, Lucas 21 | ||||
| Lucas: Kylie Murphy 2-1-5; Aven Niswander 0-0-0; Paige Sauder 0-0-0; Jaime Robinson 0-2-2; Jackie Sauder 1-6-9; Kendra Keiser 0-2-2; Emily Robinson 0-0-0; Jessica Blanton 0-0-0; Amanda Smollen 1-1-3; Kelsey Fife 0-0-0. Totals: 4-12-21. | ||||
| Upper Sandusky: McKenna Caldwell 1-0-2; Jenna Holly 0-0-0; Jaime Calvin 0-0-0; Emma Smith 0-1-1; Logan Kinley 2-1-5; Savannah Piecha 3-0-7; Sarah Rall 0-0-0; Amber Cox 2-2-6; Allison Snyder 2-2-6; Keely Stover 0-0-0; Alex Cameron 1-0-2; Jorden Born 6-1-13; Kalene Johnson 1-0-2; Taylor Graboski 6-2-14. Totals: 24-9-58. | ||||
| Lucas | 5 | 9 | 5 | 2 — 21 |
| Upper Sandusky | 20 | 16 | 12 | 10 — 58 |
| Field goals: Lucas 4-36; Upper Sandusky 24-64. | ||||
| 3-point goals: Lucas 1-12 (Sauder); Upper Sandusky 1-6 (Piecha) | ||||
| Foul shots: Lucas 12-21; Upper Sandusky 9-16. | ||||
| Rebounds: Lucas 18; Upper Sandusky 37 (Born 6, Cameron 6, Johnson 6). | ||||
| Turnovers: Lucas 18; Upper Sandusky 12. |
"We know we're going to get everyone's No. 1 game," he said. "We have the targets on our backs.
Upper Sandusky not only out-rebounded Lucas, 37-18, but more impressive was the fact the Rams had more offensive rebounds (21) than Lucas had all together. Jorden Born had seven boards, and Kalene Johnson and Alex Cameron each had six rebounds for the Rams.
"We did a nice job attacking the glass," Fahle said. "I think this year, second-chance points has helped us out a lot."
Taylor Graboski had 14 points and Born added 13 in the victory.
Lucas (1-4, 1-1 NCC) was led by Sauder, who had nine points in the win, seven of which came in the first 8:15 of the game.
