Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — When Brenlee Cottrill gets going, there’s not much you can do to stop her.
Federal Hocking’s sensational sophomore point guard got going on Monday and her teammates followed her lead, running away with a 52-24 win over Lucasville Valley in a Division VI district semifinal.
Cottrill’s final stat line included 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists — all team-highs.
“She plays hard and she knows how to play great defense,” Federal Hocking coach Amos Cottrill said. “Her hands are quick, she handles the ball well and she just controls the game for us. She knows when to score and when to dish the ball out. She’s not a selfish kid. I think if she wanted to, she could score 30 each night. But she knows how to distribute the ball and get everybody involved. It makes it fun.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
While Cottrill was outstanding individually, the Lancers (16-7), as a team, put on a defensive clinic.
Valley was tabbed with 29 turnovers and was limited to just 29 field goal attempts throughout the evening — compared to Federal Hocking’s 53. In the first half alone, the Indians (12-11) were just 3-of-15 shooting.
“That’s what we’ve been focusing on the last couple of weeks, just playing really good defense,” Cottrill said. “We’re going to have nights where we just don’t score the ball well. And if our shots aren’t falling, then we’ve got to be able to play defense. So that’s the mindset. We just want to get better day by day on the defensive side.”
Cottrill got the night’s scoring started with two free throws at the 7:32 mark in the first quarter before Jaylee Orsborne got in on the action, scoring twice to cement a 7-0 run.
Valley’s first points came with 3:26 left when Emilie Barr hit a 3 before Rorie Tabler quickly pushed FH’s lead to 12-5. Cottrill ended the first with a triple, producing a 15-7 count.
The Indians got a bucket from Katelyn Queen to cut the deficit to six early in the second, but the Lancers were off and running from there.
Takira Walker scored, followed by a 3 from Mckayla Nelson, which was followed by six straight points from Cottrill to close out the half, putting FH firmly in front at 26-11.
After the break, the Lancers’ only grew.
Nelson and Walker scored for a 30-14 tally before Orsborne later added two more buckets to make it a 38-14 score. By the start of the fourth, Federal Hocking had a commanding 41-19 edge.
From there, the Lancers shifted into cruise control and rode to victory.
Following Cottrill’s 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Tabler added 11 points while Orsborne posted 10 points and seven boards. Mckayla Nelson also helped out, scoring eight points of her own.
The Indians were paced by Barr, who finished with nine points, while Katelyn Queen added six.
While Valley now looks towards the 2025-26 season, where every member of the roster is set to return, the Lancers advance to a Division VI district final at noon, Saturday at Southeastern.
Federal Hocking will face Portsmouth West, who edged out Eastern Brown by a 44-41 final on Monday. PW ended the Lancers’ season last winter at the same level by a 47-25 score.
A win would mark the program’s first district championship since 1989.
“We’ve got to fix the little thing,” Cottrill said. “We weren’t seeing reads running down the floor and our guards just weren’t watching that for some reason. Our rebounding can always be better. So there’s always little things we can tweak. Our passing tonight was pretty soft and we have to clean that up. It’d be pretty cool [to win a district title]. A lot of people from that ‘89 team are still around. It would be very special, especially after last year. We had a tough matchup with Portsmouth West, so we’re looking forward to that matchup again.”
BOX SCORE
Valley: 7-4-8-5 — 24
Federal Hocking: 15-11-15-11 — 52
Valley: 8-29 FG, 6-11 FT, 2-8 3pt., 23 rebounds (Metzler 7), 29 turnovers, 3 assists (Thompson 3). Scoring: Barr 9, Queen 6, Thompson 4, Rose 2, Frantz 2, Metzler 1.
Federal Hocking: 20-53 FG, 6-11 FT, 6-25 3pt., 26 rebounds (Cottrill 7, Orsborne 7), 14 turnovers, 12 assists (Cottrill 7). Scoring: Cottrill 17, Tabler 11, Orsborne 10, Nelson 8, Walker 4, Clingenpeel 2.
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