Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
PROCTORVILLE — It’s been said that some teams live and die by the 3-ball.
And if that really is the case, Fairland is living luxuriously with all amenities included.
In their most important game of the year, to this point, the Dragons (19-1, 13-1 OVC) bagged 11 triples and shot a blistering 45.8 percent from beyond the arc in a 68-51 win over Portsmouth.
The victory forced the Trojans to share the Ohio Valley Conference title with Fairland and avenged the Dragons’ only loss to date — a 55-51 final back on Jan. 8.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“This win is huge for us. Our girls were really locked in this past week on this game,” Fairland coach Jon Buchanan said. “There was a lot of talk. We try to stay away from that. I can’t tell you how many pictures and memes we saw this past week, and we just try to do the best we can. Our kids tried to drown out the noise, which was hard. But I thought we did a wonderful job of that and just stayed focused on what we needed to do to win this game.”
The leaders of the Dragons’ onslaught were three of their usual suspects — Kylee Bruce, Bree Allen and Bailey Russell.
That trio combined to score 54 points while sinking nine triples.
Monday was their night.
But any other night, any one of their teammates could turn in a similar performance, and that’s because of the team’s ability to share the wealth.
To pound that point home, Fairland tallied 19 assists on 24 field goals in Monday’s victory.
It’s exactly what’s made, and what continues to make, the Dragons so lethal.
“We’ve seen our entire starting five have moments like [Bruce, Allen and Russell] did tonight,” Buchanan said. “I was just really impressed with how locked in we were. These girls are a year older and a year wiser, and they trust each other a little more. Everybody sets the table for each other. We share the ball better than we even did last year. That says a lot.”
Tale of the tape
The Trojans (17-3, 13-1 OVC) rocketed out of the gate on a 5-2 run, courtesy of Daysha Reid and Hayven Carter. But the Dragons stayed calm and threw a counter in the form of Russell and Allen, taking a 7-5 lead with 6:08 left in the first quarter.
They’d never give up that lead.
Bruce nailed her first 3 with 4:41 to go in the first before Kam Barnitz and Russell added scores for a 15-10 count. But Reid answered with a pair of triples before the first frame ended, cutting the deficit to 17-16 after one.
In the second, the Dragons created separation.
After Portsmouth’s Sienna Allen cut the lead to 21-20, Russell scored before Allen sank a bucket through contact, pushing the advantage to 26-20. Later, Allen buried a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, making it a 32-23 tally.
“The atmosphere was amazing tonight and out student section showed out,” Allen said. “It’s nice to win an OVC championship and Portsmouth is a good team. It was nice to beat them. But we’re focused on the next game and what we’re going to do in the tournament. Everybody on this team is so good. We can all score in double digits. It’s just amazing that we can all share the ball. It’s amazing chemistry.”
With 1:11 left, Bruce scored to make it a 12-point game at 37-25. Isa Taliaferro then kept that edge intact at 40-28 with a triple before Portsmouth’s Savannah Cantrell answered with a 3 of her own just before the horn, making it 40-31 at the break.
In the third, not a lot changed.
Portsmouth managed to slice Fairland’s lead to six on multiple occasions. But the Dragons refused to be slain. They took a 49-41 advantage into the final eight minutes and pushed down further on the gas pedal in the fourth.
After Russell and Bruce each scored to extend the team’s lead to 60-47, Barnitz delivered the dagger with her only 3-ball of the night, coming at the 2:21 mark, putting a cap on a championship victory.
“We’re more mature as a team than we were last year,” Allen said. “This crowd really helped us get control over ourselves. We just need to be relaxed and know we can [get even better]. And our on-ball defense [was good]. Kam, Bailey and Addison [Godby] did phenomenal jobs tonight.”
Stat book
Bruce led Fairland statistically with a well-rounded effort of 20 points, five rebounds and five assists while Allen added 19 points and four boards. Russell also helped out with 15 points and five rebounds while Addison Godby chipped in six rebounds and five assists.
As for Portsmouth, Reid posted a game-high 23 points while Carter had 12 of her own. Allen followed with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.
What’s on tap
While Portsmouth looks to get back on track at Boyd County (Ky.) on Thursday, the Dragons’ will make that exact same trip on Saturday.
The Trojans will then end their season with a matchup against Rusell (Ky.) on Feb. 13 while Fairland plays its season finale at Notre Dame on Feb. 12.
Both are looking to gear up for lengthy tournament runs — Portsmouth in Division III and Fairland in Division II.
“In the tournament, you take it one game at a time,” Buchanan said. “So next week, we have a sectional final game. We’re trying to win a championship that night. Then, a week later, we’ve got a four-team bracket and we’re trying to win another championship. Then, it’s the same thing the next week. You take it in small chunks and focus on what’s next.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
BOX SCORE
Portsmouth: 16-15-11-9 — 51
Fairland: 17-23-9-19 — 68
Portsmouth: 16-54 FG, 12-16 FT, 7-19 3pt., 22 rebounds (Allen 6), 9 turnovers, 6 assists (Allen 3). Scoring: Reid 23, Carter 12, Allen 10, Woods 3, Cantrell 3.
Fairland: 24-45 FG, 9-11 FT, 11-24 3pt., 23 rebounds (Godby 6), 15 turnovers, 19 assists (Godby 5, Bruce 5). Scoring: Bruce 20, Allen 19, Russell 15, Barnitz 5, Godby 4, Taliaferro 3, Leep 2.
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