Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WAVERLY — While some teams potentially tense up in late game, tight situations, it’s an area that Minford particularly thrives in.
Falcons coach Chuck Miller describes his team as being a “street fight” squad because of how ugly they make the game look at times.
But it’s that type of basketball that’s catapulted the Falcons into their first district final appearance since 2018.
Behind Lexi Conkel’s offensive production and a relentless defensive effort, the Falcons (19-5) outscored Lynchburg-Clay by a 29-18 margin in Thursday’s second half to earn a 48-42 victory over the Mustangs in a Division III district semifinal.
“We locked them down defensively in the second half when we needed to. This was a big stage, so we challenged them this week,” Miller said. “Anytime Lynchburg went on a run, we’d answer and, even though our offense wasn’t great, we scored when we needed it the most. This was about as good as I’ve seen our defense this year.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Conkel was the main catalyst behind Minford’s offensive second half outburst. As the spotlight continued to shine brighter, so did her game.
After dealing with foul trouble in the first half, she found her rhythm and took over late in the game before ending with 17 points — 13 of which came in the final 16 minutes.
“My shot is either on or it’s off. There is no in between. Luckily I had it working for me tonight,” Conkel said. “Shots kept going in so I knew that I had to keep pulling the trigger. I had to stay aggressive, continue attacking the basket and get rebounds to help us keep the lead and ultimately get the win.”
Minford started the game with a 4-0 lead, but Lynchburg-Clay (18-6) responded emphatically on a 10-0 run behind Addison West, Jade Massey, Macy Etienne and Madison McMullen.
Not to be outdone, the Falcons responded with a 7-0 run featuring Maggie Risner, Marlee Pendleton and Baylee Hammonds to end the first quarter holding an 11-10 advantage.
West found fire early in the second, knocking down a pair of 3’s as part of an individual 10-0 run that gave the Mustangs a 20-11 lead.
That was just before Conkel picked up her third foul with over four minutes left, seemingly adding to the hole the Falcons were in.
But they didn’t panic, they just continued to fight.
“That was the point where girls just had to step up. Our best shooter and ball-handler is out, so it’s next girl up,” Miller said. “In a way, we’re used to her being in foul trouble at times, so we just had to weather the storm. Ava Cronin did a great job of picking up where Lexi went out. She played great defense and helped our offense function. We’re a veteran team of juniors who all played as freshman, so they understand those moments.”
PHOTOS: Images from Minford’s district semifinal win over Lynchburg-Clay
Trailing 24-13, the Falcons ended the half on a 6-0 run — thanks to buckets from Hammonds, Lindsee Williams and Ava Cronin — that cut the deficit to 24-19 at the break.
With a bit of momentum now on her team’s side, Conkel returned to the lineup and had no reservations about firing away.
Her and Risner each buried a triple, while Williams showed touch on the inside. She blocked shots defensively and was rewarded on the other end, scoring off an assist from Hammonds to tie the game at 30-30 heading to the fourth.
“As soon as the fourth began, coach told us that we had nothing to lose, so leave everything on the floor,” Minford’s Kynedi Davis said.
The Falcons were giving the Mustangs one problem after another defensively. Meanwhile, on the other end, Conkel continued to be hot.
She splashed in a pair of 3’s while Risner knocked down a jumper as part of a 9-3 run to open the fourth, giving Minford a 39-33 lead.
“Lexi was just going off. That rim had to look five feet wide since she was splashing everything. We were forcing Lynchburg to work much harder than they wanted, and Maggie played great second half defense on West,” Miller said. “It’s hard when you have three 1,000 point scorers on the same team. It’s a pick your poison type of thing. They’re so talented, but we have really good guard play and we’re a team that’s built to deal with the challenge of guarding them.”
The Mustangs found some life when West hit a pair of shots. Later, Massey got a rebound and buried a triple to cut the deficit to 45-42.
And, although LC had some chances late to equalize, the shots fell short in the end while Minford knocked down three free throws to punch a district final ticket.
Following Conkel’s contributions was Pendleton, who finished with nine points while Risner added eight. Williams also had eight points with nine rebounds.
West ended with a team-high 17 points for the Mustangs. Massey had 11 points and Etienne added 10 of her own.
Minford returns to action at 12 p.m., March 2 at Waverly’s Downtown Gym against top-seeded Portsmouth, who defeated South Webster by a 73-41 final to advance.
“We have to take care of the ball. The pressure defense is coming, we’re already aware of that,” Miller said. “The other thing is limiting their second shot chances. We’re a big team and rarely get out-rebounded, but Portsmouth is such an aggressive team with a lot of talent. That’s what we’ll focus on and hope to give ourselves a chance in the fourth quarter.”
SPONSORED BY OhioHealth
