Bethel’s Ashlee Ort eyes a key free throw late in the game at Grace College Wednesday night. The Wawasee High School product led the Pilots to a 62-55 win.

WINONA LAKE – Ashlee Ort relishes her role as a defensive stopper for the highly-succesful Bethel College women’s basketball team.

The hard-nosed senior has even grown to like her nickname of “Nasty” given to her by coach Jody Martinez.

Although the former Wawasee High School standout admits it took a little getting used to.

“At first, it was a little weird, but now I take it as a compliment,” said Ort Wednesday night after helping the No. 13 Pilots win 62-55 at Grace College. “That’s my role on this team and I’ll gladly take it.”

Ort, a 5-9 forward and one of nine seniors for Bethel, showed her much-improved offensive game off in Wednesday night’s key road win. She scored a team-high 14 points, including seven in the final 2:16 of the close contest on a basket and five free throws.

“I’ve never been an offensive player,” said Ort, who is third in scoring for Bethel at about eight points-per-game this season. “I’ve always done the dirty work.  But, I do try to put in 2-3 extra hours a week working on my shooting and offense.

“I enjoy defense. It’s fun for me to play, believe it or not. I think I got that from playing against my family and my two older brothers. They beat me up playing and made me aggressive as a basketball player.”

Ort and her twin sister Kylee  were sophomore members of the Wawasee team that captured a Class 3-A state runner-up finish in 2007. That Warrior squad also included Taylor Goshert, a member of the then ranked No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan team that Ort and the Pilots just beat 50-48 on Saturday at Bethel in a Crossroads League contest.

Ashlee Ort works on the defensive end, her forte, for Bethel College Wednesday night during a win at Grace College.

“Ashlee is one of the most intense kids I’ve coached and one of the hardest workers,” said Bethel coach Jody Martinez. “She has stubborn qualities and I like that about her.

“I do call her Nasty because she does the dirty work for us. It’s all about playing your role and every role is very vital to the success of a team. She’s defensive minded and her main role is to get after our opponent’s best player and defend them. She takes pride in that.

“The thing though about Ashlee too is that she’s made herself into a true basketball player her four years at Bethel. She’s worked to make herself an offensive threat and that’s made us more diverse as a team. We’ve had a lot of team success because of her.”

Ort, who ranks second in rebounding and steals for the 23-6 Pilots, led the winners Wednesday night with nine rebounds on sheer toughness and hustle. She only played 21 minutes due to foul trouble, but hit a clutch 8-of-9 free throws in the victory.

“I know I can’t let my team down and that I have to play hard every game,” said Ort, who also played soccer her first two years at Bethel. “My first couple of years here I just hoped to play and then I got an opportunity to play on defense.

“I had to learn to work hard not only for myself, but work hard for the team too.”

Ashlee Ort (at right) gets a break during action at Grace College Wednesday night. At left is former Mishawaka High School standout Chelsea Ward.