Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WAVERLY — Portsmouth has left no doubt that it’s a force to be reckoned with.
In search of a second consecutive district title, this time in Division V, Portsmouth traveled to Waverly’s Downtown Gym on Saturday looking to impose its will on the opposition and get back into the Sweet 16.
It didn’t take long for the Trojans to let Alexander know it was in for a long day.
CREDIT: Erica Fike/SOSA
Forcing eight turnovers out of the gate and going on a 13-0 run in the first quarter, the Trojans (22-1) were able to take a commanding lead early — one they never looked back from as they eliminated the Spartans by a 58-24 final.
“This was fun. As their coach, I see their hard work all the time in practice. This is what we’ve worked for, and as a basketball fan, this was just really fun,” Portsmouth coach Amy Hughes said. “They play so hard and they play together. They passed the ball well and looked for each other. As a basketball fan my whole life, that was just a fun game to watch.”
The first quarter had Sienna Allen’s name written all over it.
After Kayden Bean gave Alexander (18-6) a quick 3-0 lead, Allen went straight to work, knocking down three triples to spearhead a 13-0 run for the Trojans. Allen finished the frame with 13 points of her own as Portsmouth cruised to a 19-7 lead at the end of the quarter.
It was all Trojans from there.
Alexander stayed resilient and tried to chip away, but it had no answer for Portsmouth’s suffocating defense.
The Trojans caused 13 turnovers in the first half, all of which led to extra opportunities on the other end. Using this, they extended their lead to 35-12 going into the intermission.
“We love to set the tone. We like to start with energy and the intensity and play excited. It’s something we do and it’s something we’re used to,” Hughes said. “We’re ready to go every second of every day. It shows how intense we play and how high-energy we are.”
Even with that large of a lead, the Trojans didn’t let off the gas.
Portsmouth stayed aggressive coming out of halftime and recorded another five steals in the third.
Offensively, the Trojans were able to spread the wealth as five players connected for a score in the quarter as they extended the lead to 49-15.
After putting the running clock in play to start the fourth, Portsmouth officially put things into cruise control as it watched the final eight minutes tick away — comfortably defeating the Spartans by a 58-24 margin to advance back to the Sweet 16.
“We’ve come a long way as a program, and I want to give credit to my dad. I can’t begin to tell you how much he does for the girls, for the program, and for me and our coaches,” Hughes said. “All of these ideas, I learned from him when I was eight. It’s amazing what he’s done and what he’s taught for my family, and this team who’s now also my family.”
Portsmouth was led in scoring by Allen, who led all scorers with 17 points. She also tallied nine rebounds, seven assists and six steals. Keke Woods followed with 16 points and six boards, and KK Mays also contributed nine points on the day.
Alexander was led by Lily Ryder, who had seven points, followed by Kayden Bean with six.
While Alexander closes the book on its season, the Trojans will advance to a Division V regional semifinal on Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. at Logan High School. There, they will face off with Zoarville Tuscarawas Valley, a 54-26 winner over West Muskingum.
“We need to get Hayven [Carter] healthy for Wednesday. We’ve got to get that ankle healed up. But we’ll be ready to go on Wednesday, and we’ve been ready,” Hughes said. “This season has been really special. What’s done it for us is our hard work. We’ve worked our tails off, and there’s nothing else we can say except for we’ve worked hard and we’re ready to go.”
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