Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WAVERLY — Never.
Portsmouth West has never won a district championship … until Saturday, that is.
CREDIT: Renee Nemeth/SOSA
The Senators (24-1) added a banner into their rafters — the first of its kind — with a 51-47 victory over Portsmouth in a Division III district championship at Waverly’s Downtown Gym.
“We knew we had a good group of girls, but we didn’t know we had a special group of girls,” West coach Larry Howell said. “But they are special. They put a lot of work in. They come in early and they stay late. We came in at ten o’clock this morning and we were watching film on Portsmouth. They were locked in. They’re just a special group of kids.”
The district final appearance was the Senators’ first since 2013 and second in program history. In 2013, they fell to Fairland by a 46-32 final. But this year was different. No, it was destined.
But it also didn’t come easy.
Portsmouth (19-6) used a combination of Sienna Allen, Daysha Reid and Savannah Cantrell to do its damage … and the Trojans did more than its fair share early.
“We knew they were going to hit shots,” Howell said of Portsmouth. “We had some good looks in the first half but we didn’t hit them. We wanted to play inside-out so we could get the step-in 3’s. We got a couple but they were timely ones. They just kept fighting. But I’m proud of the defensive effort. We played a really good offensive team and held them to 25 at halftime. It was just a battle.”
While Portsmouth relied on its star trio to do the brunt of its scoring, the Senators stuck to their balanced script — one that included superb communication on the floor throughout the game.
“If they’re not talking, they’re running,” Howell said, smiling. “They understood that early on. You’ve got to have a little success with it for them to buy into it. I think that really started with a tough game against Greenup earlier and then beating Wheelersburg in that first game we played them … It just grew from there. We told them that we felt communication was important.”
Tale of the tape
Before West could blink, Portsmouth had taken a 9-0 lead, thanks to triples from Reid and Cantrell. The Senators’ first score came with 4:44 left in the first quarter, courtesy of Lexi Deaver, before she followed with a 3 of her own for a 12-5 tally.
Allen scored with 3:02 to go before Deaver hit another trey, but Cantrell ended the quarter with a 3-ball coming at the 1:29 mark, putting the Trojans in front, 17-9.
PHOTOS: Images from West’s district final win over Portsmouth
WATCH: View West’s win over Portsmouth in a Division III district final
West started the second on a 5-0 run, thanks to scores from Charlie Jo Howard and Kate Rollins, before Allen stretched the lead back to 19-14. Later, Allen made it 23-16 with a pair of free throws, a seven–point margin that stayed intact at halftime at 25-18.
In the third, the Senators started to land punches of their own.
After Allen pushed the edge to nine at 27-18, Emma Sayre and Sydney McDermott made up a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 27-25. Deaver then hit a 3 to cut the lead to one at 29-28 before Maelynn Howell, who was huge throughout the entire second half, gave West a 30-29 lead.
“We told her at halftime that she was missing some shots but that they would fall,” Howell said of Maelynn Howell. “She fought in the second half. I told her after the game, I said, ‘Kiddo, I’m so proud of you.’ We challenged her. We told her that she was the best post player out there. So it was about going and showing it.”
Portsmouth retook an advantage at 32-31 with 2:21 left in the third before Deaver dialed long distance to give the Senators a 34-32 advantage. Allen then forced a 36-36 tie heading to the final eight minutes with a lay-in as time expired.
But there was no doubt about where momentum was … on the West Side … and a packed house took note.
“The West Side showed out tonight. They’re so supportive,” Howell said. “It’s every game. We’ve got little kids coming to support and the fans ushered us out of town this morning. It’s just a special place to be. I’m so glad they’ve hired me to be this team’s coach. Hopefully, we can keep this thing rolling.”
Reid and Sayre traded trifectas to start the fourth before Reid added another deep ball, putting Portsmouth ahead 42-40 with 4:58 remaining.
However, the Senators weren’t going anywhere.
Howell tied the game again before putting the Senators ahead 44-42 with a second straight basket at the 3:06 mark. It was then Allen’s turn to try the 3-point arc as she put the Trojans back in front at 45-44.
That would be the last lead Portsmouth took.
McDermott and Sayre scored for West, making it a 47-45 lead, before McDermott scored again with 49.2 seconds left, making it 49-47. The Senators then got a stop on the defensive end before Deaver sunk two free throws, rounding out the final.
Stat book
Deaver led the Senators with 17 points, six rebounds and three assists while Sayre had 11 points, five boards and two helpers. McDermott scored 10 points, Howell had four points and a game-high 18 rebounds, and Howard chipped in with five points and four assists.
Allen led all scorers with 22 points alongside seven rebounds and six assists while Reid finished the day with 13 points. Cantrell also did her part with 10 points and nine boards.
What’s on tap
Portsmouth ends its season with a youth-filled roster returning next season. Meanwhile, West will look towards its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance, where the Senators will match up with undefeated North Adams — a 43-41 winner over Fairfield on Saturday.
That Division III regional semifinal is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start on Wednesday at Logan High School.
“We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Howell said. “We have to make sure they’re good players have a long night, rebound the basketball, take care of the ball and hit shots.”
BOX SCORE
Portsmouth: 17-8-11-9 — 47
West: 9-9-13-20 — 51
Portsmouth: 16-52 FG, 8-12 FT, 7-25 3pt., 26 rebounds (Cantrell 9), 4 turnovers, 10 assists (Allen 6). Scoring: Allen 22, Reid 13, Cantrell 10, Mays 2.
West: 18-53 FG, 9-18 FT, 6-18 3pt., 40 rebounds (Howell 18), 8 turnovers, 13 assists (Howard 4). Scoring: Deaver 17, Sayre 11, McDermott 10, Howell 5, Howard 5, Rollins 3.
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