Carson Francis, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
NELSONVILLE — On Jan. 26, Athens went into Nelsonville with the TVC title on the line.
But despite leading at halftime of that game, the Bulldogs were unable to get the job done. Nelsonville-York not only stormed back and stole a win from Athens, it also would go on to win the outright TVC-Ohio crown.
Athens head coach Phil Koska and his team kept that feeling in the back of their minds.
CREDIT: Carissa Nickel/SOSA
“We gave away a TVC title last year by losing this game and we never forgot about it,” Koska said. “I didn’t have to motivate them very much.”
Ella Chapman, Asa Holcombe, and Quinn Banks — all three of whom were starters for the Bulldogs last season — combined for 43 points in Monday night’s contest as Athens (3-2, 2-0 TVC-Ohio) got its long-awaited revenge with a 56-37 victory, the Bulldogs’ first win in Nelsonville since 2014.
“This was a good win,” Chapman said after the game. “It’s a rivalry game, and this is the one we were trying to win the most out of all of our TVC games.”
The game started off at a back-and-forth pace, with the two teams exchanging baskets until five straight points from Chapman put the Bulldogs ahead, kickstarting a 10-2 run that Athens would end the frame with to jump out to a 17-9 lead.
Athens continued to be dominant in the second quarter, leading by as many as 14 points with 2:22 left until the break. However, the Buckeyes showed signs of life and answered with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 29-21 going into the break.
“Something that we’ve been working on as a team has been staying consistent,” Chapman said. “We had a little dip there, but we were able to recover, and that was big.”
Nelsonville-York (2-3, 1-1 TVC-Ohio) seemed to be playing off its momentum from the end of the first half as Airah Lavy scored the first points of the third, making it a 29-23 game.
Athens responded quickly, however, and it was all Bulldogs from there.
On the following possession, Quinn Banks was fouled on a 3-point attempt. She knocked down all three of her free throw attempts before scoring on a put back on the next possession. Chapman later scored off a steal and finished off a three-point play with the free throw, capping a 10-4 Bulldog run to start the half.
And Chapman and company never let up, carrying a 40-28 advantage into the final period.
“I think we know when we need to come together as a team and play fast,” Banks said. “I think we did that well tonight.”
Athens controlled the pace of the fourth, slowing down offensively and forcing the Buckeyes to send them to the free throw line. When the clock hit triple zeros, Athens had a 56-37 victory over its county rival, redeeming itself from a devastating loss last season.
“This is probably our best overall team win so far,” Koska said. “I’m proud of them for that.”
Leading the scoring efforts for the Bulldogs was Chapman, who logged 16 points in the victory. Holcombe followed with 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds, Banks contributed with 12 points and six rebounds, and Bristol Stump put up nine points of her own.
For Nelsonville-York, Lavy led the way with 20 points. Alayna Okulich contributed eight for the Buckeyes, followed by Kalina Hernandez with six.
The Buckeyes will look to get back to .500 on the season as they travel to Meigs on Thursday. Meanwhile, Athens looks for its third straight win with a trip to Logan on Saturday.
“Every game starts 0-0, so I never look past anyone,” Koska said. “Logan is next, and we have five days to prepare for them. We’ll stay focused this week and lock in on Saturday.”
BOX SCORE
Athens: 17-12-11-16 — 56
Nelsonville-York: 9-12-7-9 — 37
Athens scoring: Chapman 16. Holcombe 15, Banks 12, Stump 9, Koopal 2, Smart 2
Nelsonville-York scoring: Lavy 20, Okulich 8, Hernandez 6, Booth 2, Pidcock 1
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