Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
LOGAN — What a year a difference makes.
At this time last season, Portsmouth had never won a regional title. Fast forward to 365 days later and they still don’t own one … they have two.
Despite a valiant effort from Minford on Saturday, the Trojans (24-1) pulled away late to hand the Falcons a 49-32 loss in a Division V regional championship — claiming the program’s second consecutive Final 4 berth.
“It’s really special.. This is the second time in our school history that our program has been to the Final 4, and last year was the first,” Portsmouth Sienna Allen said. “We didn’t like losing last year. So we came out and got the win. We don’t want to do the same thing that we did last year. If we came this far this year, we said we were going to win it all. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
While Allen stuffed the stat sheet with a versatile performance — her usual — teammate Daysha Reid took the liberty of consistently lighting up the scoreboard.
The senior scored a game-high 27 points and continued to answer any Falcon momentum with a haymaker of her own.
“To be honest, I’ve been having a couple of rough games and I haven’t been hitting my shots at all,” Reid said. “So I knew I had to come out and play well in this game, especially if we wanted to go to the Final 4 again.”
Minford (20-6) used an early dose of Lindsee Williamsto take a 4-1 lead with 6:56 left in the first quarter. Maggie Risner got in on the action at the 4:35 mark, getting a bucket and a foul shot to fall for a 7-3 Falcon advantage.
But that’s when Reid got going.
The senior scored at the 4:13, 3:45 and 2:51 marks to force a 9-9 tie. When she hit the front end of two free throws with 2:02 to go, it gave Portsmouth its first lead.
“Minford was scoring a lot in the beginning and they played well,” Reid said. “I just knew I had to pick it up for my team and keep going.”
The Trojans would take that lead into the second at 15-14 and never trailed again.
Hayven Carter started the second with a bucket before Allen sank two freebies, ending a 9-0 run and extending the lead to 19-14.
The Falcons, to their credit, continued to fight. After Allen made it 21-15, Minford got back-to-back scores from Kerigan Davis and Lexi Conkel to produce a 21-19 halftime count.
Portsmouth, however, pulled away in the third.
Savannah Cantrell and Reid opened the quarter with baskets before Keke Woods got a runner to fall, ending a 9-0 run and pushing the advantage to 29-19 just a minute in.
That double-digit lead would stay intact at the beginning of the fourth at 40-28, and throughout the final eight minutes as the Trojans put a bow on a second straight regional championship.
“Defense and rebounding. Last year, we got beat really bad on the glass in the Final 4,’ Allen said. “This year, a big emphasis has been rebounding. And we’re known for our defense. Defense wins games. If the other team can’t score, they can’t win. When we pressure the ball up top, our guards get everybody else going. It’s really fun playing with this team defensively.”
“This win means a lot. This is our year to win it all,” Reid added. “We’ve been playing with each other since our elementary school days. So we’re trying to go all the way.”
Reid added six rebounds to her 27-point performance while Allen posted eight points, five boards and four assists. Woods also chipped in with eight points and a pair of helpers.
Williams led the Falcons with 10 points and seven rebounds while Conkel added eight points. Risner finished with five points, eight boards and three assists, and Marlee Pendleton posted five points and eight boards.
While Minford’s season comes to a close, the Trojans look towards a return to the Final 4 in a Division V state semifinal.
Their opponent? Ohio Valley Conference rival Fairland, who topped Carrollton to advance on Saturday. That game will take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Ohio University’s Convocation Center.
The two have met twice this season with Portsmouth coming out on top by 67-49 and 47-35 finals.
“We know how [Fairland] plays, but it’s hard to beat a team three times,” Reid said. “We just have to stay locked in and not go into the game thinking, ‘We can beat them easily.’ They’re a good team and everybody knows that. So we just have to play our game, play good defense and play together.”
BOX SCORE
Portsmouth: 15-6-19-9 — 49
Minford: 14-5-9-4 — 32
Portsmouth: 19-42 FG, 7-10 FT, 4-13 3pt., 26 rebounds (Reid 6), 9 turnovers, 12 assists (Allen 4). Scoring: Reid 27, Allen 8, Woods 8, Carter 4, Cantrell 2.
Minford: 11-44 FG, 6-9 FT, 2-9 3pt., 27 rebounds (Risner 8, Pendleton 8), 12 turnovers, 6 assists (Risner 3). Scoring: Williams 10, Conkel 8, Risner 5, Pendleton 5, Davis 4.
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