Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WAVERLY — The rim was Valley’s friend on Tuesday night.
Throughout this season, the Indians have shown the ability to shoot the ball well and, oftentimes, that’s been true from beyond the 3-point arc.
But on Tuesday, they took a different approach.
Instead of letting the 3-ball fly, Valley relentlessly attacked the bucket and it worked like a charm.
The Indians (17-6) used their size and athleticism to hold off Adena in a fast-paced contest by a 57-47 final in a Division VI district semifinal — a win where they finished 21-of-39 from inside the arc.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“I was really proud of the kids,” Valley coach Craig Tackett said. “We emphasized getting to the rim and not settling outside [the 3-point arc]. We handled their pressure pretty well, but there’s obviously things we can work on. I don’t know how much of that is on us, either. Credit to Adena. Coach [Andrew] Day and his staff have done a great job. They can compete with anybody. But I’m proud of our kids.”
Point guard Jalen Dunham was the battery that powered Valley’s run-to-the-basket win.
He ended the night with a team-high 18 points but, more importantly, he found open teammates all night long and facilitated a well-oiled offensive machine.
“[Dunham] did a great job,” Tackett said. “I thought he really looked more comfortable in the second half and settled in. The game slowed down for him a little bit and he made some really nice plays. He did a great job of getting downhill.”
Meanwhile, Valley’s Blake Lundy and Braxten Conaway did their part by combining for 30 points and 17 rebounds.
Lundy has been brilliant this season, fighting for second chance scoring opportunities while Conaway has continually expanded the ways he’s been able to score.
Together, they were a thorn in the Warriors’ collective side all evening.
“Blake is one of those kids that’s always in the right spot and always makes the right play,” Tackett said. “He’s a great kid. He’s always battling on the boards and he’s physical, down low. He can guard inside and out. He’s a glue guy. Braxten, a while back, it was like people knew him for his 3. Now, he’s rebounding the heck out of the ball, he’s driving to the rim and he’s doing a lot of things he didn’t used to do. He’s come a long way and it’s really helped us.”
Lundy started the night’s scoring with 7:19 left in the first quarter before Christian Copen logged back-to-back baskets for a 6-2 lead. Adena (14-9) fought back to tie the score at 6-6 behind a pair of scores from Colton Garrison — who was magnificent all evening — at the 4:16 mark.
But the Indians responded with a quarter-ending 6-0 run, thanks to scores from Lundy, Copen and Conaway, to make it a 12-6 count after one.
Adena’s Gavin Herald knocked down a 3 to begin the third before Conaway scored for a 14-9 score. The Indians’ lead would later be intact at 16-11 before Adena’s Joey Francis dialed long distance, cutting the deficit to 16-14 with 2:40 remaining in the half.
Dunham and Francis then traded scores before Copen made it a 20-16 game with a bucket at the 1:51 mark. But just before halftime, Garrison got a halfcourt heave to splash in, bringing the Warriors within a single point at 20-19 heading into the break.
Adena immediately took a 20-19 lead in the third, thanks to a score from Luke Preston, just to be answered by a bucket from Conaway to make it 21-20.
That back-and-forth pace would last through much of the third, a quarter that featured 10 lead changes — the final of which saw Valley take a 35-34 advantage with a runner from Lundy.
The Indians had absorbed Adena’s best punch and were preparing to throw one of their own.
After taking a 41-38 lead into the fourth, Valley looked to Conaway to extend the edge. He did just that with back-to-back buckets at the 7:38 and 6:35 marks of the fourth quarter, making it 45-38.
From that point on, the closest Adena got was to within three at 45-42. Conaway scored with 4:52 to go and Dunham pushed the lead to 49-42 at the 4:29 mark. After Dunham scored again with 1:35 left, the Warriors were forced to foul and the Indians put the game away at the stripe.
“We had three goals coming into this season and one of them was to win a district title,” Tackett said. “We knew if we couldn’t get past tonight, that wasn’t going to happen. So I’m proud of them for weathering the storm in the first half and coming out with some energy in the second half without taking a step down. We knew Adena would fight to the buzzer. We made some adjustments and the kids were very coachable tonight. We found what clicked and made a run.”
Following Dunham’s team-high 18 points was Conaway, who had a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Lundy added 14 points and seven boards, and Copen finished with eight points.
Garrison led the Warriors, and all scorers, with a 24-point, five-rebound effort while Francis added nine points, five boards and four assists to his team’s totals.
While Adena’s season comes to a close, the Indians advance to a Division VI district championship game at 4 p.m., Sunday at Ohio University’s Convocation Center.
They’ll meet with a familiar opponent in Portsmouth West, who beat North Adams to advance.
Valley split its season series with the Senators, falling to them on Jan. 2 and beating them on Jan. 23.
“The floor is a lot bigger and the 1-3-1 [defense] from West that we know so well, I hope that we can take advantage of that on that bigger floor,” Tackett said. “There’s more room for them to cover but we have to continue to not fall in love with those long passes and attack the rim. At the Convo, it’s a little tougher to shoot, so getting to the rim is going to be your friend.”
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