Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
PROCTORVILLE — In a clash of undefeated rival teams, Portsmouth seized a wire-to-wire win over Fairland on Saturday.
The two’s first meeting this season belonged to the Trojans from the beginning as they took a one-game lead in the Ohio Valley Conference title race.
The first eight minutes was everything fans expected it to be.
The intensity was obvious and the Trojans set the tone early on the defensive end, making everything difficult for Fairland.
CREDIT: Baylee Harris/SOSA
Led by Keke Woods, Portsmouth (9-0, 5-0 OVC) used seven turnovers and 10 first quarter points from Woods to jump out to a 21-15 lead after one quarter of play.
“Pound on them,” Portsmouth coach Amy Hughes said of her message to her team to start this game. “We want to be physical, make things difficult and just play hard every game. I think we did a good job of that early on in this game and all throughout.”
The Trojans kept their foot on the gas, too.
After a lightning-quick 7-0 run to begin the second quarter — capped by a steal and layup from Woods — the Dragons (7-1, 5-1 OVC) took a timeout, hoping to stop the bleeding. But it only set up what would become a permanent double-digit lead for Portsmouth.
Woods passed the scoring torch to Sienna Allen, who led the way through the second with eight points in the frame. While the offense found a rhythm, the defense continued to create chaos, creating a 40-25 advantage heading into the break.
“Sometimes, that is by design,” Hughes said of her team’s defensive effort. “We want to create that and let our girls just play basketball. At times, it causes problems like turnovers, but we want them to just go out there and do what they know how to do.”
Nothing changed in the second half.
While Fairland’s Kamryn Barnitz started to connect from the 3-point line — a shot that just wasn’t falling in the early stages of the game — the Dragons just couldn’t get back to within single digits, in large part because Portsmouth made a habit of creating second chance looks with physical play down low.
Hughes wasn’t kidding about playing in chaos at times, but the Trojans’ toughness made it possible because they refused to give up on any possession.
Led by Hayven Carter on the glass, Portsmouth made Fairland’s defense work to get second and third stops almost every time down the floor.
“You have to be tough to play for us,” Hughes said of her team’s attitude. “We only have nine girls and there is a reason for that. Not every kid can come play for us, but the girls we have, we have because they are tough and they play really hard. That bodes really well for us in these games, of this intensity.”
As the ball game came to a close, Portsmouth relied again on their two star guards, Woods and Daysha Reid, to pound the nails in the coffin. Each collected six fourth quarter points and led the way to a comfortable 66-49 final.
Woods led all scorers with 25 points alongside six rebounds while Reid finished with 17 points and four assists. Allen also had a night, tallying 14 points and nine boards.
Barnitz led the Dragons with 16 points alongside five rebounds while Addyson Cornell added 10 points. Addison Godby also had a decent night, finishing with nine points, eight rebounds and three helpers.
While Fairland attempts to return to the win column on Saturday against Parkersburg (W. Va.) at Marietta College, the Trojans are back in action Monday night, traveling to Gallia Academy.
BOX SCORE
Portsmouth: 21-19-10-16 — 66
Fairland: 15-10-13-11 — 49
Portsmouth: 25-52 FG, 7-10 FT, 4-13 3pt., 27 rebounds (Allen 9), 11 assists (Reid 4). Scoring: Woods 25, Reid 17, Sienna Allen 14, Carter 6, Mays 4.
Fairland: 14-49 FG, 12-16 FT, 9-29 3pt., 22 rebounds (Godby 8), 9 assists (Godby 3). Scoring: Barnitz 16, Cornell 10, Godby 9, Layne 8, Russell 6
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