Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
PIKETON — Even on her birthday, Piketon’s Jaylin Forbes wasn’t letting herself off the hook.
With four fouls in a game that was close into the fourth quarter, she knew that the smallest of mistakes could potentially end her Redstreaks’ season.
However, instead of dialing back her aggressive play, she turned it up on the offensive end to keep her team ahead and, eventually, afloat.
The sophomore guard gave herself a nice gift as she finished with a game-high 17 points alongside eight rebounds, leading her Redstreaks to a 45-35 victory over Westfall in a Division V district quarterfinal.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“Throughout the first half, my shots weren’t really falling. I had a couple open looks from deep that I should have hit, but didn’t,” Forbes said. “But I told myself to just keep shooting, get my form down and be in rhythm when I take my shots.”
It’s possible that Piketon (14-9) wouldn’t be in the next round without Forbes’ scoring output.
She had seven points at halftime, and the Redstreaks had 14 turnovers in the second half alone. But Forbes put on her superhero cape and proceeded to score 10 of the team’s 20 second half points.
“There are times I have to remind myself of how young of a team that we really are. I see the talent and how much they want it, but it’s going to come with some mistakes,” Piketon coach Jason Taylor said. “These girls work so hard to make this season what it’s become, and I’m so proud of them. That was a great win against a gritty Westfall team.”
Early on, points were tough to come by as Piketon led just 5-2 halfway through the first quarter, following a free throw from Abrial Johnson.
The tempo picked up, as did the scoring, and the Mustangs’ duo of Adrian Moehl and Makenzie Cook combined for eight points down the stretch. But Forbes, Laila Kelley and Olivia Farmer all scored to keep the Redstreaks ahead 12-10 after eight minutes.
They continued to keep a lead throughout the second, and built it to six points before Isabella Patete knocked down a bucket for Westfall (9-13) to bring the game within 20-16.
However, Kelley splashed in a triple and Haydn Daniels buried a jumper to put Piketon up 25-16 at halftime.
That 5-0 run to end the second was the momentum Piketon needed. Kelley connected from deep to open the second half, extending the lead into double digits at 28-16.
“Getting that double-digit lead definitely helped us relax and allowed us to take our foot off the gas a little bit to get our rhythm back together, defensively,” Kelley said. “Defense is what wins games, so for us to use that offensive momentum on the defensive side, and turn that into more offense, was key for us.”
Although only three points were scored throughout the rest of the frame, the Redstreaks’ defense held Westfall to just five points — all scored by Marianna Packer to control a 31-21 lead heading to the fourth.
With the game at 33-25, Piketon was getting ready to put it away for good. Olivia Framer notched a pair of rebound and putbacks, followed by a triple from Forbes for a 7-0 run that furthered the advantage to 40-25.
Despite Westfall’s best efforts, including an 8-0 run to bring the game to within seven points, that 15-point hole was too deep to climb out of as the Redstreaks closed out the win.
“I thought we did a great job of exploiting their weaknesses and learning from the first time we played against Westfall,” Taylor said. “They’re an athletic and tough team, but one thing we noticed is they didn’t like to shoot the ball from deep and that allowed us to key on Moehl a little bit more. These girls have made a lot of strides throughout the season, and we’re happy that there’s more basketball to play.”
Following Forbes’ totals, Kelley ended the night with 10 points for Piekton. Moehl finished with nine points and seven rebounds for Westfall.
As Westfall’s season comes to an end, Piketon advances to a Division V district semifinal at 6:15 p.m., Monday at Waverly’s downtown gymnasium. The Redstreaks will meet with top-seeded, state-ranked Portsmouth.
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