John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
MINFORD — Sometimes, it’s just your night.
Thursday was Maggie Risner’s night.
Heading into the final minute of a game with plenty of conference title implications, Risner placed the cherry on top of a 19-point night with a game-winning field goal at the buzzer, lifting Minford to an imperative 39-37 win over visiting Portsmouth West.
“We started off driving with our guards and we had a big advantage in the paint. But we also had to drive so we could get kick-outs,” Risner said postgame. “I didn’t do it myself. I have great teammates who passed me the ball. We have nights where some of us make all of our shots and some of us, not so much. So tonight, I was glad my teammates were passing to me. We played as a team.”
With both teams entering Thursday with identical 2-0 records in Southern Ohio Conference play, as expected, it went down to the wire.
Minford (9-3, 3-0 SOC III) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead behind baskets from Risner and Kynedi Davis. West answered with a layup from Emma Sayre and a triple from freshman Hailey Carver. But Risner finished off the opening quarter with a short jumper to give the Falcons a slim 6-5 lead after eight minutes.
The second period followed much of the same script as the first, with each team making a mini-run that was quickly countered by the opponent.
Interior scores from Minford’s Lindsee Williams and Marlee Pendleton were countered with jumpers from West’s Kamryn Spriggs and Sayre, as neither team was able to extend a lead further than four points throughout the first half.
West (10-3, 2-1 SOC III) took its first lead late in the half on a deep 3 from freshman Macy Whisman, but Risner closed out another quarter with a tough basket in the closing seconds, sending the game into the break deadlocked at 16-16.
Sayre opened the second half with a pair of free throws before a 3-0 run from Minford was countered by a triple from Spriggs, giving the Senators a 21-19 lead early. And, after the Falcons split a pair at the line on the following possession, PW forced back to-back turnovers, helping to open its largest lead of the evening.
West’s Kate Rollins picked up a pass in the lane before passing ahead to Whisman, who finished through contact on the other end. Sayre then picked the pocket of a ball-handler and shoveled the ball ahead to Emily Moore, giving the Senators a 25-20 edge with 3:05 to play in the third.
Despite baskets from Risner and Williams, the Falcons still trailed 27-24 going into the fourth quarter, which meant an uphill battle against a patient Senators offense.
The Senators ran clock on the offensive end, but were unable to push their lead beyond three points. Meanwhile, Minford kept pace with a pair of driving layups from Risner, sandwiched in by two free throws from Sayre.
West pushed its lead back to 31-28 with a layup from Rollins with 3:50 to play, but that would be the team’s final basket of the contest.
CREDIT: Erica Fike/SOSA
After a midrange jumper from Williams, the Falcons got a stop before Kynedi Davis connected with Lexi Conkel in the right corner for a 3 to give the Falcons a 33-31 lead with 2:22 to play.
It was Conkel’s first points and the only made triple of the game for the Falcons.
“We really needed Lexi at that moment,” Williams said. “She was hitting shots and playing defense really well, keeping her hands off [West’s ball-handlers]. She was a really big help in winning this game.”
The Falcons secured yet another defensive stop, leading to Risner splitting a pair of free throws for a three-point lead. At that point, West’s Sayre started to slowly get her team back into the game.
The 5-foot-1 senior point guard slashed through the lane and drew a foul. Once at the stripe, she buried both free throws to cut the lead to one. Following a successful trip to the line for Risner, Sayre then connected with Moore for a short jumper, cutting the lead to 36-35 with 27.9 seconds left.
After being quickly fouled, Conkel found her way to the line for the first time in the game. The junior split a pair before Sayre did her damage once again with 19.9 to play, drawing yet another foul on an aggressive drive.
With Sayre cooly sinking both ends of the bonus to tie the game at 37-37, the Falcons had one final shot to win the game in regulation.
Risner rose to that occasion.
Weave action at the top of the key did not seemingly get an opening for the Falcons as Davis dished to Conkel on the left side. But Conkel found Risner on the right wing. Risner split a pair of defenders before quickly getting a shot up before the final buzzer.
It banked in and it sent the Falcons’ bench into a frenzy, sealing a hard-fought, ever-important victory.
Risner finished with a game-high 19 points, nine of which came in the final quarter. She also pulled down six rebounds.
Williams, who took a backseat to Risner’s heroics, was impressive as ever with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds, alongside a game-high three blocks.
“I just tried to post up, let [my teammates] get me the ball and kick it back out to them,” Williams said. “They were driving [to the basket] really well, which is when I sealed the defense off. They drove right past me and got the lay-ups.”
For West, Sayre was the only Senator in double-digit scoring figures, pacing her teammates with 15 points, including a 10-of-10 showing at the foul line. She also passed out six assists and swiped six steals on the defensive end.
Both teams are back in conference action on Monday night.
West will host South Webster — a winner over Waverly on Thursday — while Minford entertains Wheelersburg, who’s coming off a win over Valley.
“The big thing for our team is to keep our defense [playing well],” Risner said. “If we can keep it a low-scoring game, we’re not a great shooting team. So if we can play great defense, we can let up a little [pressure] on offense. We have to keep it going. We can’t look past anyone. Everyone [in the conference] is good this year.”
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