Brock Netter, Staff Writer

Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — From the opening buzzer to the final horn, Jackson’s Mattie Walburn was nothing but pure energy on Saturday.

CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
Whether it was encouraging her teammates, pumping herself up or getting fired up heading to the bench after a Miami Trace timeout, she brought the juice.
She backed up that energy with her play on the court, teaming up with Kenzie Davis to score 24 points in a hard-fought 29-20 victory at Miami Trace in FAC action.
“We prepared more for Miami Trace than any team we have this season, and it all came down to defense and communication,” Walburn said. “They set a lot of screens and that’s how their offense runs, so we knew talking on defense was going to be critical. They’re a good team with some good weapons, but we did our jobs.”
It marked the first victory for the Ironladies (13-2, 8-0 FAC) at Miami Trace since the formation of the Frontier Athletic Conference. But more importantly, it clinched a share of the FAC title for a second straight season.
“Anytime you hold this team to 20 points, you have to feel pretty good about it. Even if we didn’t have our best offensive game, it was still enough to win,” Jackson coach Matt Walburn said. “This is the first time I’ve ever won at Miami Trace, which is great. But getting a part of the league title is the better part, especially as the defending league champions. But we’re not satisfied with a share. We want the outright title again.”
Both teams knew one another like the back of their hand, so there weren’t any surprises one wasn’t ready for. They attacked the inside repeatedly, opting to abandon the outside shot for higher percentage looks.
The only difference was that Jackson finished its chances while the Panthers struggled to do so mightily.
PHOTOS: Images from Jackson’s win over Miami Trace
The Ironladies never trailed as Davis opened with the game’s first four points, followed by a pair of jumpers from Walburn and a bucket from T.J. Carpenter to put the Ironladies ahead 10-2 after the first quarter.
Miami Trace (11-6, 5-3 FAC) opened the game 1-of-16 from the floor, and simply couldn’t recover from the early hole it dug.
Jackson pushed its lead to 16-4 before the Panthers managed a 5-0 run behind Ellie Robinette and Hillery Jacobs to cut the deficit to 16-9.
However, they couldn’t capitalize on the momentum as they turned the ball over three times in the final 90 seconds and trailed 18-9 at halftime.
“Playing at Miami Trace is always tough, but we were excited to come in and play defense,” Davis said. “We’re so familiar since we’ve played against each other for a long time. We know what person has what skill set, so it makes it a little easier to play, though they’re still a good team.”
Davis continued to give the Panthers problems on the inside while they struggled to find any type of offensive rhythm. Davis scored underneath to put the Ironladies ahead 22-12 before they closed out the third with a 25-14 advantage.
Despite being outscored in the final frame, the Ironladies’ lead never dipped below eight points throughout the rest of the game as they clinched a conference crown.
WATCH: @ironladiesbball’s @kenzie_davis22 & @MattieWalburn discuss tonight’s victory over Miami Trace, giving the Ironladies a share of the FAC championship.
— Brock A. Netter (@SirBrockNetter) January 15, 2023
The duo combined for 24 of the team’s 29 points. pic.twitter.com/J0VWufhs33
“Miami Trace has such a great tradition. I’m a fan of [Miami Trace coach Kayla Dettwiller], and I told her after the game to just keep doing what you’re doing,” Matt Walburn said. “They do things the right way and play us tough every time. Defensively, I think we’re starting to get it a little bit and understand how important positioning and communication really is. This was a great time win and hats off to Miami Trace because they made us earn it.”
Davis finished the night with 14 points and eight rebounds, followed by Mattie Walburn’s 10 points. Carpenter added five points and seven rebounds to the mix.
Jacobs led Miami Trace with nine points and six rebounds.
Jackson returns to action on Saturday against Western Brown at Eastern Brown High School. Miami Trace rebounds on Wednesday at home against Circleville.
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