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WHEELERSBURG — Physicality and defense were the name of the game in Thursday’s Southern Ohio Conference clash between Minford and Wheelersburg.
In the end, the Falcons’ length and depth helped them soar to a hard-fought 36-24 road win.
After holding a 19-16 lead through three quarters, Minford (5-4, 2-0 SOC III) dominated the fourth to stay undefeated in conference play.
CREDIT: Erica Fike/SOSA
Early in the contest, Wheelersburg’s Mia Vastine made it known that the Pirates weren’t going to give up the ship on their home floor easily. The senior guard forced a turnover on the opening possession, leading to a runout layup. Minford’s Lexi Conkel answered with a corner 3 before Vastine picked up another steal and connected with Peyton May for an interior layup.
Vastine then added to the lead with a hesitation drive, which she converted into a three-point play. Minford went to their bench to try and catch a spark and the Falcons got it in the form of freshman Kerigan Davis, who scored the final three points of the first to cut Wheelersburg’s lead to 7-6.
Minford turned up the defensive pressure in the second, leading to a 7-3 quarter victory where they blocked five shots and forced eight turnovers. Marlee Pendleton and Lindsee Williams each scored putback baskets to help the Falcons seize a 13-10 lead at the break.
“Working with Lindsee, we just know no matter what, if we miss a shot, we always have her to rebounds,” Pendleton said. “That’s one of the biggest parts of our team. Just as soon as we start making shots, our game just starts flowing. It gives us so much confidence.”
PHOTOS: Images from Minford’s win over Wheelersburg
The second half continued the story of the first as physical play forced a great number of turnovers and missed interior looks for both teams.
But, the bench play for both teams made an impact late in the quarter as Wheelersburg’s Ava Artrip buried a corner 3 to temporarily give the Pirates a 16-15 lead. Minford’s Lainey Howard then answered 10 seconds later off an assist from Williams. The third quarter closed with a pair of free throws from Davis to make it a 19-16 Falcon lead through three quarters of play.
“[Davis] has been such an amazing part of our team,” Conkel said. “As a freshman, being able to step up like that, honestly, it’s impressive. When any of us starters get in foul trouble, we can rely on her to come into the game. She’s a good shooter and she makes plays happen.”
Following an early bucket from May in the fourth, Minford’s Conkel responded with a 3-pointer from the wing to make it a 22-18 count — giving the Falcons their biggest lead of the night.
“I actually just had a high ankle sprain injury so my shot was [kind of off] and I was just trying to get back to the feel of things,” Conkel said. “This is my second game back so being able to hit those shots boosted my confidence and being able to get my team up and give them confidence to continue our run, it’s an amazing feeling.”
However, Wheelersburg quickly responded as Vastine found Callie DeHart in the corner for a triple to make it a one-point deficit with just over six minutes to play. But, that would be the closest the Pirates would get throughout the rest of the evening as Minford closed on a 14-3 run.
Pendleton scored inside before Ava Cronin canned a 15-foot jumper with 5:40 to play. After a defensive stop, Williams put in a big putback score with 4:18 to play to make it a 28-21 game.
The Pirates ran an extended offensive possession and got a deep triple from Vastine with just over three minutes to play, but baskets from Maggie Risner, Davis and Pendleton on the other end to put the game away and helped the Falcons stay perfect early in conference play.
The Falcons’ trio of Conkel, Davis and Pendleton all scored eight points apiece to lead the way for Minford. Williams had a game-high 16 rebounds and five blocks for the Falcons as well.
Vastine led the way for the Pirates (10-2, 2-1 SOC III) with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and six steals for an excellent all-around floor game while May added six points to the Pirates’ totals.
Minford is back in action on Saturay, traveling to Lynchburg-Clay for a non-league title while Wheelersburg attempts to get back into the win column on Monday at West.
BOX SCORE
Minford: 6-7-6-17 — 36
Wheelersburg: 7-3-6-8 — 24
Minford: 14-42 FG, 5-8 FT, 3-8 3pt. Scoring: Conkel 8, Davis 8, M. Pendleton 8, Risner 4, Williams 4, Cronin 2, Howard 2.
Wheelersburg: 9-42 FG, 3-9 FT, 3-17 3pt. Scoring: Vastine 12, May 6, Arturo 3, DeHart 3.
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