Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WILLIAMSPORT — Paint Valley used a tenacious defensive effort — and some well-timed 3-point field goals — to earn a win over Westfall on Thursday in each team’s final Scioto Valley Conference game this season.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
The 43-35 win came despite a poor night shooting. The Bearcats (14-8, 8-6 SVC) shot just 5-of-29 from beyond the 3-point arc. However, a pair of triples from Sophia Stauffer late in the first half, alongside a dagger 3 from Averi McFadden, put PV over the top for a third place finish in the league standings.
“Our coach [Tristan Norman] said at halftime that we’re only guaranteed one more game,” McFadden said. “So going into the tournament, getting this win is a big confidence booster for us to keep moving.”
The Mustangs (6-16, 4-10 SVC) started off hot from distance as Adrian Moehl and Paige Weiss each knocked down a 3 in the first two minutes of play. Moehl also buried a deep jumper to give Westfall an early 8-5 lead.
But at that moment, the Bearcats turned up the defensive intensity by forcing seven turnovers over the remainder of the quarter, leading to multiple runout baskets for McFadden, including consecutive scores to give the Bearcats a 12-8 lead after one quarter.
The Mustangs began to gather their footing early in the second as Moehl and Weiss each knocked down triples, before Moehl found Aubrey Clark inside for a layup to give the Mustangs a 16-14 lead late in the half. A drive to the basket from Kendall Dye tied the game at 16-16 before Stauffer made her presence known on back-to-back possessions.
While facing the Mustangs’ active zone and struggling from long distance, Stauffer, a sophomore, made consecutive 3’s from the left wing that gave the Bearcats a 22-16 lead at the break.
“It was a lot of adrenaline [that helped],” Dye said. “We were struggling to shoot and we weren’t seeing the ball go in [the basket]. So [Stauffer] hitting those big shots gave us a lot of adrenaline.”
Coming out of halftime, Dye converted a pair of free throws before the Mustangs stormed back to draw even with scores from Clark, Moehl, Weiss and Marianna Packer.
But with the game seemingly in balance, the Bearcats’ two all-league seniors dialed long distance and came through in the clutch. Dye splashed a wing 3 to put the Bearcats ahead 34-30 and, after a steal and bucket from Packer on the other end, McFadden was left open at the top of the key where she gave PV a 37-32 edge.
The Mustangs never got any closer.
Dye and McFadden helped put the game away at the free throw line, moving the Bearcats into tournament play with much-needed momentum.
“This was definitely good for us, especially going into the tournament,” Dye said. “We’ve worked really hard the past four years to rebuild this program to where it is today. I think it’s been really rewarding to see that pay off. We’re excited for the rest of the season.”
Paint Valley will begin tournament play on Wednesday when it hosts Trimble in a Division IV sectional final. Meanwhile, Westfall also begins postseason play on Wednesday, traveling to Wellston for a Division III sectional semifinal.
BOX SCORE
Paint Valley: 12-10-6-15 — 43
Westfall: 8-8-7-12 — 35
Paint Valley: 11-51 FG, 16-23 FT, 5-29 3pt., 24 rebounds (Ka. Dye 8), 9 turnovers, 4 assists (McFadden 2). Scoring: McFadden 15, Kendall Dye 10, S. Stauffer 9, Karris Dye 3, Makenna Heath 3, B. Stauffer 2, Kara Free 1
Westfall: 11-34 FG, 6-8 FT, 7-23 3pt., 33 rebounds (Clark 12), 27 turnovers, 9 assists (Weiss 4). Scoring: Moehl 14, Weiss 8, Clark 6, Packer 5, Isabella Patete 1, Alyssa Wyman 1
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