Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WEST PORTSMOUTH — It didn’t take long for Will Kegley to announce his presence on Friday night.
As a matter of fact, it took just 37 seconds.
Kegley’s first bucket of the night came with 7:23 left in the first quarter. When he scored his next two baskets, both after turnovers, it gave his Senators a lead they’d never relinquish.
All in all, Kegley finished with 23 points, leading his teammates to a hard-fought 39-35 victory over the visiting Valley Indians, who were undefeated coming into the evening.
“You tell people about Will and you tell them he’s a three-level scorer,” West coach Caleb McClanahan said. “But really, he’s a four-level scorer because he’ll kick your butt in transition, too. He does a nice job at the top of our zone and he’s really hard to throw around. When you’ve got him up there, it’s almost like instant offense.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
While Kegley’s efforts helped, the victory certainly didn’t come easy.
After digging a 14-point hole midway through the third, Valley (6-1, 0-1 SOC III) seemed to receive a wake-up call and proceeded to rip off a 16-2 run to tie the score.
But West junior Braden Adkins had the answer with a 3-ball at the 3:59 mark that took the wind out of the Indians’ sails.
Those three points were Adkins’ only three points — but they were also the most important three tallies throughout the entire evening.
“When he’s playing really well, he really plays well,” McClanahan said. “And it’s not always scoring for Braden. We went up to Western a couple of weeks ago and I thought he played a phenomenal game. He’s just always quick and he can penetrate the gaps and find the open man. He’s just a tough kid.”
Once Kegley gave West a 6-4 lead at the 3:19 mark in the first, Logan McIntyre hit a 3 to make it 9-4. By the end of the frame, the Senators had grabbed a 13-7 lead.
That momentum carried into the second when Kegley teamed up with Corbin Miller for a 7-0 run that extended the advantage to 20-11 at the 2:58 mark. That nine-point edge stayed intact at halftime, too, with West leading 24-15.
Kegley picked up where he left off in the third, scoring a basket for a 26-15 score, before West later went ahead 31-17.
And, at that point, it looked like the Senators might run away with a win. But the Indians had other plans.
PHOTOS: Images from West’s win over Valley
“We’re coming off a two-week break and I didn’t really think we shot the ball well tonight,” McClanahan said. “We went up 14 points in the third quarter and called a timeout and told the guys that it was a really important two-minute period, and we kind of fell apart a little to be honest.”
Behind a scoring burst from both Christian Copen and Braxten Conaway, Valley ended the third on a 9-0 run, eroding the Indians’ lead to 31-28 and seizing all momentum.
Kegley began the fourth with a score, making it 33-28, but a 3-ball from Elliot Franke and a bucket from Copen tied the game with 4:43 remaining.
“All of our opponents this year have, kind of, different styles,” McClanahan said. “But you know, playing in the SOC is just different. We’ve got physical athletes, really good coaches and really good players. You have to come every single night to play in this conference. This is the most balanced our league has been in awhile, too.”
44 seconds later, Adkins hit the aforementioned triple to give West a 36-33 lead. When McIntyre scored with 1:58 left, it was essentially the dagger.
Valley had multiple chances to cut into the five-point deficit, but the Senators’ defense answered the bell at every turn in the waning moments.
“We want to compete to win this league and we have a real good opportunity to do it,” McClanahan said. “But we have to win the home games. And I’m sure that’s what Valley is telling their guys. You have to protect your house. We were able to come out and do that tonight.”
Following Kegley’s 23-point performance was McIntyre, who finished with five points, four rebounds and three assists. Adkins added four rebounds and an assist of his own.
As for Valley, Conaway ended the night with 13 points and nine rebounds while Copen added six points, 10 rebounds and a pair of assists to the Indians’ totals.
While Valley attempts to bounce back on Tuesday with a home date against Wheelersburg, the Senators will look to continue their winning ways the same evening at Minford.
“You can get beat any night,” McClanahan said. “We have to come to play every single night. Minford will be the same on Tuesday. It’s a tough gym and we haven’t won over there in a long time. They’ve got big, physical athletes and they’ve got shooters. They’ve got the recipe to beat any of us in this league. So we better come to play.”
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