John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WINCHESTER — With her team trailing 32-29 with just over a minute left to play in the third quarter, Eastern Brown’s Sophia Uhl completely took over the game on Thursday night.
A personal 7-0 run from the sophomore over the final 70 seconds of the quarter gave the Warriors a lead they’d never relinquish. She’d then assist the first two baskets of the fourth to help grow the lead.
And the Warriors needed every point down the stretch of a 50-46 win over rival North Adams — Eastern’s second win over North Adams this season, clinching the outright SHAC title.
“I want to give one-hundred percent [credit] to our guards,” Eastern coach Kevin Pickerill said. “They took care of the ball better than they had all year. Vivian [Grimes] and Alyssa [Fisher] played with a lot of confidence and made that extra pass and knew where to go with the ball. It takes a full team to beat a team like that, and we definitely put it all together.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
Olivia Uhl got the game started with a triple from the corner, beginning a fast-paced opening quarter that saw the Warriors take a 16-14 lead. Throughout the first, North Adams’ Emma Pistole led with seven points while freshman Bently Burns sparked the Warriors with four late points, aiding Eastern to their slim lead after eight minutes.
Burns scored the first five points of the second quarter, too, including a three-point play with 5:24 to play that pushed the Warriors’ lead to 21-17.
“We started gelling and mending this together early on,” Pickerill said of Burns. “Bently was excellent. Her growth and confidence has gotten so much better. I feel our seniors and upperclassmen have really welcomed and encouraged her to make her feel like a big part of the team. A lot of times, people come in as freshmen and that doesn’t always sit well. But our leadership has been great and that’s why we’re at where we’re at, because our chemistry has been excellent.”
Eastern kept the Green Devils at a distance as Sophia Uhl hit all four of her free throws in the frame while Shyla Mignerey converted a putback to give the Warriors a five-point lead with less than 15 seconds to play in the half.
And then Tenzlee Burns happened.
Burns drove to the basket in the closing seconds, drawing a foul with only 2.8 seconds to play in the half. She knocked down the first free throw before rattling out the second, which Bella Gray gathered and kicked right back out to Burns. She’d set her feet to the left of the circle and can a triple at the buzzer to make it a 27-26 game at the break, grabbing all of the momentum for NA.
“She hit some big shots, even late in the game,” Pickerill said of NA’s Burns. “Us coaches love that type of stuff. You see a great player like that and it’s a great challenge. It’s going to be a tough four years coaching against her. Credit to her, the Pistole sisters … they played well and we were fortunate tonight to be on the right side.”
North Adams used that end-of-the-half momentum to start the third as the Pistole sisters — Emma and Ava — combined for six points to give the Green Devils a 32-27 lead halfway through the quarter.
North Adams’ stingy defense kept Eastern from even getting shots up as they forced five early turnovers. Finally, after some elite defense from Vivian Grimes kept the lead from growing, Olivia Uhl connected on a midrange jumper with 3:38 to play in the third for the Warriors’ first points of the second half.
That’s when Sophia Uhl took over the game.
The sophomore scored a putback with just over a minute to play in the quarter and then knocked down a 17-foot jumper from the left side. On the ensuing possession, she picked up a loose ball and scored through contact with 1.7 to play, bringing the crowd to its feet.
When she converted the free throw, it gave the Warriors a 36-32 advantage after three quarters.
Sophia Uhl picked up where she left off to start the fourth, assisting on baskets for Alyssa Fisher and Alyssa Johnston, before NA’s Tenzlee Burns answered with a deep triple.
A similar story followed next with Johnston hitting a pair of short baseline jumpers before another Tenzlee Burns 3 cut the deficit back to 44-38 with around four minutes to play.
After Burns and Olivia Uhl traded buckets, Eastern’s Alyssa Fisher provided the final blow for as the junior splashed a triple from the right wing at the 2:09 mark, giving the Warriors just enough room to hold off Burns and the Green Devils’.
Burns connected on a late pair of 3-pointers, but it wouldn’t be enough as Eastern nailed down a pivotal victory.
On the night, a balanced effort for Eastern was led by Sophia Uhl’s 11 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, while Alyssa Johnston and Olivia Uhl each added 10 points as well. Freshman Bently Burns finished the game with 9 points and a game-high 12 rebounds while Alyssa Fisher added 8 points. Vivian Grimes also helped out, passing out 5 assists to lead the Warriors while playing outstanding defense throughout the game.
For North Adams, Tenzlee Burns led all scorers with 26 points, including 5 triples. Emma Pistole added 13 points and pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds.
While North Adams attempts to rebound with a trip to Fleming County on Saturday, Eastern Brown will be back in action on Monday, hosting Georgetown.
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