Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
FRANKFORT — Thanks to a slow start, Piketon trailed Adena for nearly 26 minutes of game time on Wednesday night.
But, behind a stingy defensive effort and some timely scoring from Dani Ritchie, the Redstreaks (3-4, 3-2 SVC) were able to claw their way through adversity, take a late lead and, eventually, earn a hard-fought 33-31 victory in SVC play.
The night’s scoring started with a fastbreak layup from Laila Kelley at the 6:44 mark in the first quarter. However, Piketon wouldn’t lead again until Kelley found a cutting Ritchie with 3:57 to play in the fourth.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
In between those times, the Redstreaks had to grit and grind their way for a come-from-behind victory.
Following Kelley’s opening score, the Warriors (5-3, 3-2 SVC) went on an immediate 12-0 run that lasted nearly four minutes. Corinne Day scored inside, followed by a Kamryn Sowers steal and pass ahead to Jacey Smith for a layup. A pair of free throws from Marly Halcomb widened the gap before another basket for Day.
As the lead expanded, Piketon was unable to get a good look on its end, largely because of the defense of Smith and Sowers.
A basket from Abrial Johnson at the 2:43 mark of the first quarter stopped the run and allowed the Redstreaks to call a timeout to calm down and refocus.
That’s exactly what they did, finishing the quarter on a 7-2 run, capped by a late 3-pointer from Johnson in the closing seconds of the frame.
After trailing 12-2 in the opening quarter, the ‘Streaks were able to slowly grind their way back into things by turning up their defensive intensity. Behind Johnson, Kelley, Jaylin Forbes and Reese Shanks, the Redstreaks forced 12 first half turnovers, allowing them to get back into the game even while their offense stalled.
A deep triple from Kelley cut the Warriors’ lead to 16-14 with 3:32 to play in the half and after multiple defensive stops, Kelley struck again, this time with a drive and score with 1:15 to play in the half to finally tie the game once again.
“My teammates get all the credit,” Kelley said. “We’re all just trying to do the best we can, listen to coach, and run our plays. The momentum really helped us get going. That spark really lit a fire.”
Day, however, ripped momentum away from the ‘Streaks as she cashed in on a triple from the top of the key with 18 seconds remaining in the half, giving Adena a 19-16 lead at the break.
The Warriors kept Piketon at arm’s reach throughout most of the third quarter, keeping the lead between three and five points until a late swing in the quarter gave the Redstreaks life.
A driving layup for Piketon was blocked by Day, leading to a runout attempt for the Warriors to extend the lead to seven. But a big block by Haydn Daniels gave possession back to the Redstreaks. On the ensuing possession, Kelley drove and kicked it to a wide open Forbes, who buried a wing 3 with 1:10 remaining in the quarter.
After another defensive stop, Kelley once again beat her defender, but took it all the way to the hoop for a game-tying score to close the third.
Neither team could make any headway early in the fourth, but another wild sequence gave Adena a temporary lead.
Multiple players went after a loose ball, eventually rolling near the Adena bench, where a Redstreak tried to save the possession for her team. But it landed right in the hands of Halcomb, who made a wide open layup to take a 28-26 lead with 6:22 to play.
Forbes was able to tie the game on a short jumper on the following possession, leading to two more minutes of dead-even basketball.
The next sequence ultimately helped elevate the Redstreaks to victory.
After a Piketon turnover, it appeared that the Warriors were going to score in a 3-on-2 break, but Shanks read the attack perfectly and slid over to take a picture-perfect charge with 4:06 to play in regulation.
“Coach has been preaching to take charges and to not be afraid to sacrifice for your team,” Kelley said. “Reese is just so good at that and she’s always ready to take that charge. She sacrifices so much for our team, offensively and defensively. She’s always there and ready.”
On the ensuing possession, Kelley found a streaking Ritchie, who scored with 3:57 to play and drew a foul to give Piketon its first lead since the 6:44 mark of the first quarter.
Ritchie missed the free throw, but after an offensive rebound by Forbes, she again drove to the hoop and finished in the lane with 3:24 to play to take a 32-28 lead.
“It felt good,” Ritchie said. “We had a game plan and we executed it. We knew how disciplined [Adena] was, so we really had to take advantage of their weaknesses. We did what we could.”
Adena was not done, though. The Warriors ran a perfectly drawn up play to get Halcomb a look from the left wing, where the sophomore standout splashed a triple to make it a one point game with only 2:38 remaining.
But that would be the last time the Warriors scored. Piketon’s defensive effort eliminated any clean looks for the Warriors down the stretch as they missed their last four shots, and had a pair of turnovers as well.
A steal by Forbes in the final seconds led to a split pair of free throws. The Warriors could only force up a runner in traffic in the closing seconds,which went harmlessly off the backboard as time ran out to give the Redstreaks a third SVC victory this season.
Halcomb led the Warriors with a game-high 15 points, while Day added 10 points and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds. The Warriors return to play on Saturday when they host Zane Trace.
Kelley led a balanced effort for the Redstreaks with nine points and three assists. Forbes added eight points. The Redstreaks will also return to action on Saturday, hosting Paint Valley.
“[The win] gives us a lot of confidence,” Ritchie said. “We know we can play defense well. If we just take our time and really focus on our game plans, we can definitely win more games.”
BOX SCORE
Piketon: 9-7-10-7 — 33
Adena: 14-5-7-5 — 31
Piketon: 14-40 FG, 2-6 FT, 3-12 3pt. Scoring: Kelley 9, Forbes 8, Johnson 6, Ritchie 6, Daniels 4.
Adena: 11-36 FG, 7-10 FT, 2-7 3pt. Scoring: Halcomb 15, Day 10, Smith 4, A. Ferrell 2
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