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MINFORD — Five sophomores. That’s what makes up Minford’s starting lineup.
CREDIT: Renee Nemeth/SOSA
Those five, alongside their teammates, have been battle-tested by fire all season. But at every turn, they’ve met adversity head on while continuing to sharpen their skillsets.
That trend continued in the biggest game of the Falcons’ season on Saturday.
Thanks to a gritty second half effort, Minford (15-8) completed a comeback and topped Peebles by a 46-42 victory in a Division III sectional championship.
“It’s a step. We talk about steps all the time,” Minford coach Chuck Miller said. “When you start five sophomores, you take things in steps. These same girls lost in the sectional last year. So we stressed taking that next step that good teams do. The biggest thing about today’s win is from a confidence standpoint. Victories breed confidence.”
The win marks the program’s first sectional title and first win in tournament play since 2019.
Sophomore Lindsee Williams was a big reason why it happened. The 6-foot-4 center ended the night with 16 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks and four assists — all team-highs — and completely took over the contest in the fourth quarter.
When she got going, Peebles (13-10) searched desperately but couldn’t find an answer for her.
“Lindsee was especially dominant,” Miller said. “She was hitting shots from the elbow, attacking the rim off the dribble and hitting the offensive boards. She was the key on the offensive end in the second half.”
Tale of the tape
The Indians started the game on a 5-0 run, courtesy of Lily McFarland and Angel Gray.
Minford’s first field goal came from Williams, but not until the 2:46 mark in the first quarter. However, that bucket sparked a 9-0 quarter-ending run.
Maggie Risner added a basket with 2:15 to go before Lexi Conkel scored five straight to send the Falcons into the second with a 9-5 lead and momentum.
But Peebles had an answer prepared.
Cadence Carroll and Payton Johnson tied the game with back-to-back buckets before Risner and Johnson traded scores for an 11-11 deadlock with 4:28 to go.
Then, with 2:20 left before halftime, McFarland dialed long distance for a second time to put the Indians ahead 14-13. That was the start of an 8-0 run — courtesy of Johnson and Carroll — that helped Peebles take a 19-15 lead into the break.
Johnson went right back to work in the third, scoring seven of her team’s 10 points.
She made it a seven-point lead at 22-15 with a bucket and the ensuing foul shot before the Falcons struck back with a 6-0 run. After Johnson made it 24-21 with a pair of freebies, Risner bagged a triple to tie the score at 24-24 with 2:12 to go.
Williams then gave Minford a 26-24 lead but it was short-lived, thanks to a drive from Johnson and a 3 from Lydia Maddox to put Peebles ahead 29-26 heading into the fourth.
“We really challenged the girls at halftime,” Miller said. “We were so passive on the offensive end in the first half, not attacking the defense and too many turnovers. We have an advantage in the paint against just about anyone. You have to get it to your bigs, but your bigs have to do something with it when they get it. I thought our high-low action in the second half was very good. The guards got them the ball and Lindsee and Marlee [Pendleton] did a nice job of making plays.”
That process really started to take form in the fourth.
After Lexi Pendleton and Marlee Pendleton tied the score, Peebles’ Abigail Smalley put the Indians back ahead at 32-29 with a 3. The Indians kept their advantage until the 5:25 mark when Williams tallied back-to-back baskets to make it a 37-36 lead.
Williams later sank two foul shots before Marlee Pendleton got a putback bucket to fall, making it 43-40 with under two minutes to play. From there, Risner and Conkel hit 3-of-4 foul shots to put the victory on ice while the Falcons’ defense stepped up to get stops late.
“We just need to function, relax and play,” Miller said. “We’ve kind of had a bad habit of this during the season. In most of our big games, we’ve been down in the second half. But we battled back. We are a very tough, physical team. Deficits don’t bother us.”
Stat book
Following Williams’ stat line was Risner with 10 points while Marlee Pendleton added nine points and 10 rebounds. Conkel also contributed with seven points and four assists.
Johnson led Peebles with a game-high 24 points alongside nine boards and six helpers. McFarland added six points and Carroll had four points and nine rebounds.
What’s on tap
While Peebles’ season comes to an end — one that included a share of the SHAC’s Division II title — Minford advances to a Division III district semifinal.
The Falcons will meet with West at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday at Valley High School.
The Senators have already beaten Minford twice this year in SOC action — a 37-27 final on Dec. 19 and a 47-41 decision on Jan. 30.
“It all boils down to which team can manage the atmosphere better,” Miller said. “[West] is so experienced with senior leadership all over the floor. But even though we are young in age, we are experienced, too. They are more perimeter-oriented while we like to operate in the post. We both play some of the best man-defense around. The first two games have been physical wars, so I wouldn’t expect anything different this time around. We are both confident in our identity. It should make for a great game.”
BOX SCORE
Peebles: 5-10-14-13 — 42
Minford: 9-10-7-20 — 46
Peebles: 13-42 FG, 12-15 FT, 4-15 3pt., 22 rebounds (Johnson 9), 14 turnovers, 6 assists (Johnson 6). Scoring: Johnson 24, McFarland 6, Carroll 4, Smalley 3, Maddox 3, Gray 2.
Minford: 19-50 FG, 6-16 FT, 2-10 3pt., 27 rebounds (Williams 12), 12 turnovers, 13 assists (Williams 4, Conkel 4). Scoring: Williams 16, Risner 10, M. Pendleton 9, Conkel 7, Cronin 2, L. Pendleton 2.
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