Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
SARDINIA — When the ball is in the hands of either Emma Sayre and Lexi Deaver, and West has a lead, consider the game to be over with.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Both of the Senators’ guards are going to make good decisions, both are going to knock down foul shots if given the chance to do so, and both have a knack for putting victories on ice.
On Saturday, against a battle-test Mercy McAuley squad, Sayre and Deaver led their Senators (17-1) to a hard-fought 48-40 victory in non-league play.
The duo combined for 24 points and five assists, while going 7-for-8 at the charity stripe in a statement win.
“I trust [Deaver and Sayre] to just make plays,” West coach Larry Howell said. “As a coach, you’re pretty confident when those two are out on the floor. The experience is there and they’ve been in late-game situations before. You know they’re going to make the right decision. I’m glad those two are on our side.”
Saturday’s victory marks the team’s ninth straight and comes less than 24 hours after a pivotal win over rival Wheelersburg in conference play.
Needless to say, momentum isn’t an issue for West.
“After playing Wheelersburg [on Thursday], we felt like we were going to be a little tired because we put a lot of energy into that game,” Howell said. “For our girls to come here and play like they did, and Mercy McAuley is a really good basketball team, I’m just really proud of them. They kept fighting and the defensive effort was there.”
The Senators enjoyed a hot start on Saturday, taking an early 8-5 lead following a 3 from Sayre with 5:18 left in the first quarter.
PHOTOS: Images from West’s win over Mercy McAuley
That advantage would swell to 10 points at 19-9 heading into the second after Deaver, Charlie Jo Howard and Maelynn Howell all joined Sayre in the scoring column.
In the second, however, McAuley provided a counter-punch with an 8-0 run to begin the quarter.
The Wolves even took leads of 22-21, 24-23 and 27-26 before Kate Rollins got a jumper to fall, giving West a 28-27 edge at halftime.
After the break, Howard dialed long distance for a third time before Sayre and Deaver tacked on baskets to cap an 8-0 run and give the Senators a 36-27 lead with 6:27 to go. Mcauley, again, answered by ending the quarter on a 9-4 run to bring the deficit to 40-38 heading to the fourth.
And that’s when West dialed up defensive pressure.
The Senators allowed just one field goal in the entirety of the final eight minutes while Deaver, Howell and Rollins went 6-for-6 from the free throw line to put away an eight-point victory.
“I’m just proud of the fact that they got knocked against the ropes and they just kept fighting,” Howell said. “This is a good group of girls. They’re great athletes.”
Stat book
Deaver ended with a game-high 17 points while Howard had nine points, coming on a trio of triples. Sayre finished the day with seven points and three assists while Rollins added seven points to the mix. Howell also made a difference, totaling five points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
McAuley was led by Bella Maxfield, who had 12 points, while Kylee Heidemann added 10 points and four rebounds. Izzy Rotert also chipped in with eight points, a team-high seven rebounds and two assists.
What’s on tap
West will try and capture its 10th consecutive victory on Monday, in league play, at Valley. A win would put the Senators one step closer to their first-ever SOC II championship — something they could clinch on Thursday against Waverly.
The Tigers are the only team to beat West this season, coming by a 55-49 final on Dec. 15.
While that game may be on their minds, they’re trying to focus on the task at hand … and only that task.
“We’re trying to take this one game at a time,” Howell said. “We’ve got to go to Valley and they just beat Minford. They’re playing really good basketball right now. We want to take care of Valley on Monday and then focus on that big game against Waverly on Thursday. If we can win both of those games, we’re sitting in a pretty good spot.”
BOX SCORE
West: 19-9-12-8 — 48
Mercy McAuley: 9-18-11-2 — 40
West: 14-35 FG, 12-17 FT, 8-12 3pt., 19 rebounds (Howell 10), 7 turnovers, 11 assists (Howell 3, Sayre 3, Howard 3). Scoring: Deaver 17, Howard 9, Rollins 7, Sayre 7, Howell 5, Andre 3.
Mercy McAuley: 15-43 FG, 5-7 FT, 5-13 3pt., 22 rebounds (Rotert 7), 7 turnovers, 4 assists (Rotert 2). Scoring: Maxfield 12, Heidemann 10, Rotert 8, Griebel 6, T. Kreimer 4.
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