Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WAVERLY — If someone told Eastern Brown that it would win 20 games this season, the Warriors may have looked at them crazy.
Both players and coaches.
That’s not because the Warriors are incapable or not talented enough. But they figured they might be a year away from serious contention.
Turns out, they’re a year ahead of schedule. And they’re bringing hardware back home.
In an instant classic, the Warriors had a little more in the gas tank and converted shots at the rim in the biggest moments to knock off Piketon by a 52-47 final in Saturday’s Division V district final at Waverly’s Downtown Gym.
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
It marks the Warriors’ first district crown since 2021.
“I felt like, early, we got wrapped up in the big crowd and the heat in the gym. It took a little air out of us,” Eastern Brown coach Kevin Pickerill said. “But I felt like our kids bounced back and we followed through with some adjustments we made at halftime. We were able to hit some big shots.”
Piketon couldn’t stop Eastern’s Alyssa Johnston from getting to the rim and corralling offensive rebounds. She secured three of them on top of her six points in the first quarter.
However, the Warriors (21-5) couldn’t stop the Redstreaks on the other end.
Laila Kelley, Reese Shanks, Jaylin Forbes and Haydn Daniels all scored to put Piketon ahead 12-10 after the first.
Offense was hard to come by in the second, but Piketon remained ahead until Olivia Uhl knocked down a 3 for Eastern Brown, forcing a 16-16 deadlock.
Both teams traded buckets down the stretch, but Shanks got a shot to fall late to give the Redstreaks a 23-21 lead at halftime.
However, the third quarter was all about Alyssa Fisher.
She splashed in back-to-back 3’s and followed those triples with assists to Bently Burns and Sophia Uhl, completing a 12-5 spree that put the Warriors ahead 33-28.
Piketon (19-6) came back with the next five points to tie the game, but Eastern Brown scored the final five points of the frame — all from Shyla Mignerey — to take a 38-33 lead into the fourth.
“Shyla just keeps getting better each night out,” Pickerill said. “She intimidates people on the defensive end, she gets big rebounds and she was able to finish some go-to buckets late in the third when we needed them. I felt like she gives Bently and Alyssa a little break, too, where we can rotate them. But I felt like all of our kids did that well tonight.”
Burns and Sophia Uhl continued to help keep the Warriors in front, but the Redstreaks weren’t going away quietly as Kelley splashed a triple to bring the deficit to within 46-43.
However, in the end, it was the Warriors’ night to be victors as they closed out with a bucket from Sophia Uhl and multiple free throws to send the Warrior faithful into a frenzy.
Sophia Uhl finished with 11 points and seven rebounds to lead the Warriors, while Johnston added nine points and nine rebounds. Fisher also helped out, totaling eight points and six assists.
For Piketon, Kelley finished with a game-high 12 points while Forbes and Shanks added nine points each.
While the Redstreaks’ season comes to a close, Eastern Brown returns to action at 7 p.m., Wednesday in a Division V regional semifinal against Portsmouth, who defeated North Adams to move on.
That game will happen at Logan High School.
“I’m just very proud of the girls,” Pickerill said. “This [district title] is special because nobody really expected us to be where we’re at. To win 20 games with this bunch, I don’t think anybody thought that was going to happen. So this one ranks right up there. I felt like we were the underdogs most nights out. For our kids to be able to get to a district title game and win that game, it’s very important for us and our program. It says a lot about our kids.”
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