Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
FRANKFORT — Put some respect on Emma Garrison’s name.
The reigning Scioto Valley Conference Player of the Year gave the league a needed reminder of just how special she can be on Tuesday.
Southeastern, who just happened to draw the short straw of trying to guard Garrison on a career night, didn’t have, and couldn’t find, an answer for the senior all night long.
The result was a career-high 32-point performance — alongside eight rebounds and three assists for good measure — and a 64-51 victory for Garrison’s Warriors.
“She works really hard,” Adena coach Andrew Day said of Garrison. “She’s always perfecting her craft and adding new things to what she does. There’s no magic secret to it. She just works really hard and you see the results of that. Tonight, I thought she played with a lot of confidence and had some really great looks. When she gets good looks, she’s going to make a lot more than she misses.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Garrison was magnificent but she was also flanked by freshman Marly Halcomb and junior Sydney Ater, who combined to score 26 points and grab 15 rebounds.
Meanwhile, contributions on the defensive end from Jacey Smith and Corinne Day, and on the offensive end from Kamryn Sowers, Caroline Corcoran and Kamryn Sowers, added to the pot as well.
Put it all together and you get a true team-oriented win — something Day is expecting to see more of this winter.
“I think this could be the most skilled group that I’ve had here,” Day said. “It makes it hard for teams to really load up on Emma because you’re going to end up leaving a good player open. That goes a long way.”
Tale of the tape
Before Southeastern even attempted to shoot, Adena (2-0, 1-0 SVC) had nine points on the board.
Ater nailed a trey just 26 seconds into the contest before Halcomb scored to make it 5-0. Ater then drilled a second triple with 6:44 to go, after a free throw from Williams, for a 9-0 count at the 6:44 mark in the first quarter.
The Panthers (1-1, 0-1 SVC) finally got on the board with 5:16 to play, courtesy of Gracie Brown, and managed to cut the lead to 14-8 thanks to a bucket from Morgan Ware. That six-point lead stood at the end of one, 19-13, in Adena’s favor.
Much of the Warriors’ success in the opening eight minutes happened because of their ability to force turnovers. That changed in the second and Southeastern took advantage.
Ware dialed long distance with 7:02 left, making it 21-16, and Gabby Pernell followed suit at the 6:22 mark, cutting the deficit to 23-19. With 5:32 to go, Pernell hit another 3 before Reese Ruckel got a putback attempt to fall, tying the score at 24-24 with just over five minutes to play.
PHOTOS: Images from Adena’s win over Southeastern
“I think [Southeastern] handled our pressure pretty well,” Day said. “That’s especially true after that first quarter. They didn’t turn it over as much. When you give a team that has skilled players possessions where they’re getting shots instead of turnovers, they’re going to make some of those. They did, to their credit. They stepped up and made a lot of shots. And, also, I think we settled at times for the first decent look, as opposed to waiting to get a great look.”
Garrison answered with a score through contact, hitting the ensuing free throw to make it 27-24 before Halcomb connected from deep, pushing the lead back to six at 30-24 — allowing Adena to take momentum into halftime, leading 33-28.
The Panthers didn’t go anywhere in the third, matching Adena’s every move. However, they couldn’t get over the hump. SE forced a 37-37 tie with 7:00 to play and kept itself to within four-to-six points of Adena throughout the rest of the way, trailing 47-43 heading into the fourth.
That’s when Garrison decided to take matters into her own hands.
After Ware scored to make it a 47-45 game with 6:17 remaining, Garrison hit triples on back-to-back possessions, putting Adena up 53-47. The senior then hit another 3 with 2:54 left for a 56-47 score and, when Halcomb tried her hand from length, splashing a deep ball with 2:27 on the clock, the win was all but in the books.
“On the bench at one point, coach Day said something along the lines of, ‘I want somebody to step up and act like they want to be here.’ Those weren’t the exact words,” Garrison said, with a smile. “Then and there, something kind of clicked. I wanted to be there. So I started acting like it, I guess.”
Stat book
Following Garrison’s career night was Halcomb, who tallied a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds while Ater added 10 points and five boards. Kiera Williams also chipped in with seven assists.
Southeastern was led by Ware with 15 points, six rebounds and five helpers. Pernell finished with 12 points, four boards and a pair of assists and Reese Ruckel totaled eight points and eight rebounds. Rowan Ruckel and Brown rounded out the Panthers’ scoring with eight each.
What’s on tap
Both teams are back in action at home on Saturday in SVC play. Southeastern will be attempting to bounce back against Piketon and Adena will take on Westfall.
“[Westfall] is a team that has some really nice pieces,” Day said. “We’ve got to be ready to go. Tonight was a good teacher for us. There’s a lot of things we need to get better at and so we’ll go to work.”
BOX SCORE
Southeastern: 13-15-15-8 — 51
Adena: 19-14-14-17 — 64
Southeastern: 22-48 FG, 1-7 FT, 6-10 3pt., 29 rebounds (Re. Ruckel 8), 16 turnovers, 11 assists (Ware 5). Scoring: Ware 15, Pernell 12, Re. Ruckel 8, Ro. Ruckel 8, Brown 8.
Adena: 20-56 FG, 12-16 FT, 12-33 3pt., 32 rebounds (Halcomb 10), 11 turnovers, 15 assists (Williams 7). Scoring: Garrison 32, Halcomb 16, Ater 10, Sowers 3, Corcoran 2, Williams 1.
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