John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WEST PORTSMOUTH — Becoming an elite defensive team requires three critical areas.
CREDIT: Renee Nemeth/SOSA
The group needs to focus on little details, have the athleticism to get stops and, most importantly, communicate with each other.
Those three qualities weren’t an issue for West on Saturday as the Senators (12-1) took care of business and handed Peebles a 52-37 loss.
Peebles (7-7) started the day with a triple from Abigail Smalley before settling into an effective 1-2-2 zone defense. In that look, the Indians have taken advantage of their length while eliminating the middle and forcing opponents into taking quick 3’s.
This strategy didn’t immediately pay off as a wing 3 from West’s Charlie Jo Howard evened things up. Peebles’ Payton Johnson then started to use her strength to attack the basket for a quick four points before a late triple from Lilly McFarland gave the Indians an 11-10 lead after the first quarter.
That was the final Indian lead of the contest as the Senators found a hole in the zone and quickly exploited it.
That hole featured the Senators getting the ball to Sydney McDermott in the high post, where she either connected with a backside guard or hit Maelynn Howell on the block for an easy score.
“We prepared really hard for Peebles. They’re a really good team,” Howell said. “Sydney and I work really well in the post since we know each other’s moves and where we’ll be on the floor. We managed to get them out of their high-low and score.”
Howell scored eight points in the second quarter while the Senators also got triples from Lexi Deaver and Elisha Andre.
On the defensive end, Deaver stepped up to guard Johnson, forcing tough shots when she was able to get even slightly free and helped the Senators control a 25-17 lead at halftime.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Senators didn’t scorch the nets (39.1%), but they did bury six triples while holding Peebles to a lowly 23.4% from the field. Neither team turned the ball over at a high rate with only 16 turnovers on the afternoon. The Senators put on a passing display that is not seen often these days, handing out 16 assists on 18 made field goals, with Deaver leading the way with a game-high five helpers. The Indians were only a +2 on the glass, despite Johnson ripping down 16 on the day. it was an impressive display at the free throw line from both squads — Peebles (75%) and West (77%) both shot at a high level.
“Our coaches talks a lot about being in the gaps in defense and constantly talking to one another,” Sayre said. “We did a great job of calling out screens and not letting Peebles into the paint. We’re not allowed to be quiet in practice and it’s something that we bring to the floor every game.”
The Senators got Sayre back into the mix after two early fouls with a chance to blow the game open in the third.
Using her quickness to get into the paint, she scored seven points in the frame. Meanwhile, her defense held the Indians to just 2-of-12 shooting in the third.
“We really take pride in being a really good defensive team,” Sayre said. “We’ve put up good numbers offensively, but we have to continue taking pride in our defensive game moving forward.”
Using a 16-7 third quarter scoring margin, the Senators held a 41-26 lead after three — an advantage that remained in double digits throughout the rest of the way.
Howell led all scorers with 23 points on the afternoon while Johnson led Peebles with a double-double of 19 points and 16 rebounds.
Both teams are back in action on Monday as Peebles heads to Fairfield in SHAC action while the Senators travels to Eastern for an SOC battle.
BOX SCORE
Peebles: 11-8-7-11 — 37
West: 10-15-16-11 — 52
Peebles scoring: Johnson 19, Smalley 8, McFarland 3, Gray 3, Maddox 2, Barr 2.
West scoring: Howell 23, Sayre 11, Deaver 8, Howard 3, Andre 3, McDermott 2, Rollins 2.
POWERED BY HORIZON
