Tyler Hart, Contributor
CHILLICOTHE — Adena needed extra time to stay undefeated on Thursday. But the Warriors did what they had to do to remain atop the Scioto Valley Conference.
CREDIT: Cory Hall/SOSA
And that includes doing everything in their power to stop a herculean effort from Allison Basye.
Heading into the fourth quarter trailing 35-22, Basye and Huntington found a rhythm at the right time. The Huntsmen made a late push to outscore Adena 17-4 in the fourth behind a strong defensive effort and pure hustle on both ends of the floor.
But in the end, after Basye and company forced overtime, behind the leadership of Adena’s Jadyn Smith and the rebounding and defensive efforts of Emma Garrison and Chey Ater, Adena (4-0, 3-0 SVC) found a way to close out a gritty, physical 48-45 win.
“We knew that [Huntington] was going to bring it in the fourth quarter to try and make it more of a close game,” Smith said. “So we had to pick it up even more. We knew that Allison Basye was just going to go off. So we had to play good defense and play as a team.”
Physical.
Nothing else defines the style of play from both teams on Thursday. From clearing the boards, to poking the ball loose, to running a full court press, physicality was a deciding factor in each of the game’s stages.
“We talk all the time about how we want to be the first team on the floor to get loose balls,” Adena coach Andrew Day said. “We want to get on the offensive glass to create opportunities for ourselves. I thought we did well at doing that tonight.”
Smith came out of the gate finding her shot early, scoring six points in the opening quarter while Kiera Williams scored the lone 3 for Adena in the first. Huntington found its scoring early from the charity stripe going, 5-for-8, but trailed 13-9 heading into the second.
The next eight minutes was more of the same as both squads kept pace. Without attempting a single free throw in the quarter, the Warriors saw field goals fall and would head into halftime holding a 23-17 advantage.
That effort was again led by Smith, who continued to find her groove in the process of driving to the hoop and finishing. She ended with 12 first half points.
PHOTOS: Images from Adena’s overtime win at Huntington
Adena’s defensive prowess was on full display in the third.
Williams continued to score but also scratched the stat sheet with her defensive play in collecting three steals. That was a factor in Huntington being unable to find a response to five different Adena scorers gracing the stat sheet.
After winning the third by a 12-5 margin, the Warriors took a comfortable 35-22 lead into the fourth.
And then things got uncomfortable, courtesy of Basye.
Yes, she was present for the entirety of the game. But she came alive in the fourth, scoring 12 points on four field goals and two foul shots. Her leadership and aggressiveness sparked Huntington and forced overtime.
“She’s an unbelievable player,” Day said of Basye. “We have to guard her unlike anyone else that we play. She can score from everywhere, and for us, we know it’s a team effort where everyone has to be engaged to slow her down.”
The overtime period came down to running time off the clock and finishing at the line. Adena’s plan was to show poise and keep possession, trying to force Huntington into fouling in the final minutes.
However, that was easier said than done.
After going 2-for-13 at the line in the fourth, Adena needed to hit their free throws in the worst way possible in overtime while continuing to play defense at a high level. Huntington tallied its final field goal of the night with 1:36 left, before Basye added a foul shot on the same play to give her team a 45-42 advantage.
Adena responded with two straight scores, taking the lead when Caelan Miner hit a mid-range jumper from the corner. That bucket gave the Warriors a 46-45 edge with 29.4 seconds to play.
Huntington had its opportunity to go ahead once more, but came up short following Miner’s game-leading shot. Adena’s defense forced a late turnover and Garrison stepped to the foul line.
With seven seconds to play, Garrison sank both shots to produce the night’s final.
Smith ended with a game-high 19 points alongside nine rebounds and three assists. Williams added seven points and three steals while Miner finished with five points and eight boards. Ater also helped with five points and six rebounds while Garrison had four points and 10 boards.
Basye led Huntington with 18 points while Carly Dyer and Emma Hinshaw each added seven.
Huntington is back in action on Saturday at West Union while Adena hosts undefeated Paint Valley on Tuesday.
“We have to get better at the free throw line, and we have to shoot better from behind the 3-point line,” Day said. “We missed a lot of opportunities in those areas.”
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