Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
FRANKFORT — When waters got choppy on Wednesday night, Adena turned to its leader to steer the boat and weather the storm.
Junior Marly Halcomb entered the fourth quarter with eight points and, admittedly, had been relatively quiet all night long.
But with the score knotted at 28-28 and her team’s season on the line, she did what all great players do and completely took the game over.
Halcomb’s 10 fourth-quarter points helped the Warriors outscore Southeastern by a 23-10 count in the final eight minutes of Wednesday’s Division V district quarterfinal.
It was the turning point of a 51-38 season-extending win.
“Teams know what [Halcomb] means to us and give her a lot of attention,” Adena coach Greg Newland said. “But we stuck with the game plan. Marly doesn’t get frustrated. She focuses on things she can control, like moving the basketball and playing good defense. And as the game went on, opportunities started to arise, and good players like her take advantage of those.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Halcomb wasn’t the only one to finish with an impressive stat line, either.
Freshman Josie Mallow was a consistent thorn in the Panthers’ collective side all night long, doing it all with eight points, seven rebounds and six assists.
It’s a performance that Warrior fans have become accustomed to seeing from the budding star.
“It’s impressive. She came in as a talented player and she just had to adjust to the speed of the game and the physicality. It was just a confidence thing and that’s developed as the year has gone on. And that’s on both sides of the court. She battles on the defensive end and offensively, she’s understanding what we’re asking her to do. She’s embraced it and we’re better for it.”
Southeastern’s Calley Stauffer started the night with a 3-ball from the right elbow before Adena’s Marly Halcomb matched her on the other end.
Those two shots set the tone for a back-and-forth pace all night long.
The first quarter saw five lead changes with the final coming on a 3 from Adena’s Jacey Jones at the 1:36 mark, putting the Warriors ahead 10-8 going into the second.
The next eight minutes remained nip and tuck, but the Warriors (10-13) maintained a slim lead, thanks to scores from Halcomb, Mallow and Ava Ferrell, who knocked down a 3 to make it 16-13 with 2:11 left.
Southeastern (11-12) answered with a triple from senior Gracie Brown before Mallow hit two free throws for an 18-16 lead at the break.
After Halcomb put Adena up 21-16 early in the third, the Panthers went on a 6-0 run with the help of Brown, who splashed in back-to-back 3’s, for a 22-21 advantage. But Ferrell answered with a 3 of her own to put Adena back in front at 24-22 with 4:02 to go.
By the end of the quarter, the two had played to a 28-28 tie with neither giving an inch.
That, however, changed drastically in the fourth.
After Reese Ruckel gave the Panthers a 30-28 lead, Jade Turner furthered the advantage to 33-30 with a 3 at the 6:16 mark. But Adena responded with a 9-0 run — scores from Olivia Ferrell, Halcomb, Mallow and Jolyn Jett — to produce a 39-33 count with 3:13 remaining.
Southeastern never recovered.
Jett got a putback to fall before Halcomb nailed another trey with just over two minutes to play, pushing the lead to 45-35. After Olivia Ferrell scored again to make it 47-38 with 1:26 to go, the Panthers were forced to foul and Adena made sure to take care of business at the charity stripe, where they were 9-of-12.
“I think our group did an excellent job of sticking with the game plan, regardless of if it was a high or a low,” Newland said. “They were tough and gritty. Even with a size deficiency, we took care of business. The shots were dropping towards the end and I think that was a product of a lot of kids looking for shots and taking advantage of those opportunities. It’s something we’ve been preaching. I’m really happy to see that.”
Statistically, Brown led the Panthers with 14 points while Reese Ruckel added eight points and seven rebounds. Stauffer also chipped in with eight points and four boards.
Halcomb finished the night with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists while Ferrell added 10 points and five boards. Mallow’s final line included eight points, seven rebounds and six helpers.
While Southeastern’s season comes to an end, Adena will advance to meet with Portsmouth, the defending Division V state champion who topped Wellston by a 76-17 final to advance.
Needless to say, the Warriors have their work cut out for them.
But that’s why they roll the ball out. Anything can happen during the tournament.
“It’s all about the mindset going into it,” Newland said. “That’s why they play the game. You try to execute what you want to do and you never know, you may catch anybody on the right night. If you have the right mindset going into it, anything can happen.”
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