Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
FRANKFORT — Adena’s Olivia Ferrell may not have realized the moment she provided on Monday — in the moment that is.
But when the final horn sounded, it started to resonate.
Throughout the evening, the Warriors held a lead over Miami Trace. But there was one point in the fourth quarter where it was in danger.
The Panthers had ripped off a 7-0 run to bring the deficit to within two points at 29-27. That’s when Ferrell put forth a game-changing three-possession sequence.
After MT’s Gracie Lovett scored to make it a two-point game, Ferrell nailed a triple from the right shoulder, pushing the lead back to five at 32-27. Then, after Adena got a stop on the other end, she tallied an old-fashioned three-point play, extending the Warriors’ edge to 35-27.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Although there was still time left on the clock, it virtually put a 41-29 win on ice.
“We talked about it in the locker room,” Adena coach Andrew Day said. “When it’s your time, you have to be ready. She stepped up in the moment and, basically, saved the game for us. At that point, things were not going well. She made two huge, back-to-back plays that really put us in the position to win.”
While Ferrell stepped into her role when it mattered most, sophomore Marly Halcomb was playing a role she’s still getting used to.
Coming into the season, Halcomb was expected to be the Warriors’ top scoring option and she very well might be. But on Monday, she was tasked with covering MT’s Ryleigh Vincent and Addyson Butts.
Vincent and Butts came in with a significant size advantage, but Halcomb held her own in the paint.
PHOTOS: Images from Adena’s win over Miami Trace
“It’s huge for us,” Day said. “It’s something we have to weigh with Marly. We need her offense but she’s an unbelievable defender. Nobody will ever know it because we can’t afford to put her on the other team’s best player. But at times, she’s going to have to guard girls that are bigger than her because of our lack of size. She knew the job she needed to do tonight and I think she did it well.”
In the opening eight minutes, Halcomb nailed a pair of 3’s and got scoring help from Olivia Ferrell, Ava Ferrell and Corrine Day. That quartet helped the Warriors (1-1) take a 12-3 lead into the second.
Miami Trace (0-2) awoke from its slumber in the second, getting a pair of buckets from Vincent and scores from Butts, Katy Bock and Rylee Ferguson. But behind six points from Day and a lay-in from Kamryn Sowers, Adena kept pace and owned a 22-13 edge at the break.
The tides started to change in the third, though.
Late in the third, Miami Trace had cut the Warriors’ lead to 26-20. But Halcomb got loose and hit her third 3 of the evening, making it a 29-20 advantage heading into the fourth.
“[Miami Trace] started getting really physical on our entry passes and just didn’t let us get into our offense,” Day said. “Part of that is us learning how to handle it. But I thought [Miami Trace] did a really good job of disrupting things.”
Lovett immediately hit two jumpers to begin the fourth before Vincent got involved with two buckets of her own. When Lovett hit the back end of two free throws, she had brought her Panthers to within two at 29-27.
But that’s when Ferrell put a screeching halt to all of MT’s momentum.
The sophomore guard knocked down the 3 and got a bucket to fall through contact on the team’s next possession, essentially putting any thoughts of a valiant comeback to rest.
“We have several girls with varsity experience, but all of them are in completely different roles than what they were in last year,” Day said. “A lot of what we’re trying to figure out as we go is how we execute things we need to execute, when we need to execute them. There’s going to be a learning curve to that. But I was proud of how we kept our composure in the fourth quarter when they made their run. I thought we handled it well.”
Day led the Warriors’ offense, scoring 10 points, while Halcomb and Olivia Ferrell added nine points each.
Miami Trace was led by Vincent, who had eight points, Lovett helped out with seven, and Ellie Robinette also chipped in with six of her own.
Both teams will have quick turnarounds. The Panthers host Eastern Brown on Wednesday while Adena begins SVC play the same evening, entertaining Westfall.
“We have to execute better,” Day said. “We had far too many turnovers and defensive rebounding has to improve for sure. I think those are the two things that jump out the most.”
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