Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
COLUMBUS — There was no stopping Avery Wagner on Sunday evening.
Waterford’s 6-foot-4 senior seemingly scored at will, tallying a game-high 38 points to lead her Wildcats to a 62-57 win over Unioto at Ohio Dominican University.
She was efficient, she was dominant on the glass with a game-high 15 rebounds, and she was, without question, the best player on the floor.
“Federal Hocking was a tough environment for us the other night [in a win] and they were gunning for us,” Waterford coach Jerry Close said. “It was a great win on the road and to come up here and get one, it was huge. The kids gutted it out. I’ve got great leaders. We got sloppy for a little bit, so we have to get some things cleaned up. But that was [Unioto’s] seventh game already and it’s our third.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Wagner’s performance was the catalyst to Sunday’s win, but she wasn’t the lone standout.
Teammate Kendall Sury enjoyed a balanced game, scoring 17 points to go with six rebounds and five assists.
“That’s what you’re going to get from [Wagner and Sury],” Close said. “Defensively, it was a little bit of a tough matchup for us because [Unioto] was more of a guard-oriented team. So I thought the kids did a nice job adjusting to that as well. I’m just really happy with them.”
Wagner got the game’s scoring started with a 3 before teaming up with Sury for back-to-back buckets, making it a 7-2 lead with 6:52 left in the first quarter.
That scoring burst created a wave of momentum.
Avery Smithberger got in on the action, Wagner scored again and Elsie Malec added a runner to produce a 13-4 count. By the end of the first, the Wildcats (3-0) had a commanding 23-11 advantage.
“We played so well in that first quarter and that maybe hurt us a little bit,” Close said. “I don’t know if the kids relaxed or what, but we executed the game plan really, really well. In the second quarter, we kind of went away from it. So it was just about trying to get them settled back in. Right now, we’re in a hurry. We just have to settle. But to be 3-0 and to beat two really good teams, that’s great for these kids.”
Unioto (5-2) started to close the gap in the second, though.
Led by Mya Hamilton and Milee Smith, the Shermans slowly chipped away at the deficit. After Hamilton drained a 3 with 2:59 left to bring Unioto to within one at 27-26, she gave her team the lead at the 1:44 mark — a 30-29 count — with two free throws.
But Waterford absorbed the punch and threw a counter.
Sury scored with 1:13 left, putting the Wildcats back in front, and then hit the back end of two free throws to make it 32-30 at halftime.
After the break, Hamilton and Smith went back to work. The dynamic scoring duo put Unioto on top at 40-39 late in the third — a lead that was later stretched to 51-43 midway through the fourth.
However, with the game on the line, Wagner and Sury wouldn’t be denied.
Following a triple from Sury with 4:35 to play, Wagner made it a 55-53 game with 2:40 to go. Sury tied the game with 2:03 remaining and Wagner put Waterford ahead 57-55 with 1:09 left.
They’d never trail again as they polished off a game-ending 19-6 run to put away an impressive come-from-behind victory.
Statistically, following Wagner and Sury’s tallies was Smithberger, who chipped in with four points, seven boards and five helpers.
Hamilton paced Unioto with 24 points and four rebounds while Smith added 20 points, four rebounds and three assists.
While the Shermans attempt to get back into the win column on Wednesday with a trip to Zane Trace, the Wildcats won’t have a break. Instead, they’ll host Southern on Monday night.
“We just have to settle down and not be in such a hurry,” Close said. “[Unioto’s] pressure obviously got to us a little tonight, but most of the turnovers were unforced. That’s that part we have to get cleaned up. And, after the first quarter, we didn’t really get into anything crisp on the offensive end tonight. That’s on me. I’ve got to get that fixed.”
BOX SCORE
Waterford: 23-9-11-19 — 62
Unioto: 11-19-13-14 — 57
Waterford: 26-49 FG, 7-15 FT, 3-7 3pt., 45 rebounds (Wagner 15), 21 turnovers, 16 assists (Sury 5). Scoring: Wagner 38, Sury 16, Smithberger 4, Pottmeyer 2, Malec 2.
Unioto: 20-61 FG, 9-15 FT, 8-21 3pt., 16 rebounds (Hamilton 4, Smith 4), 6 turnovers, 9 assists (Smith 3). Scoring: Hamilton 24, Smith 20, Beard 8, Holbert 5.
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