Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
PORTSMOUTH — There’s been no shortage of successful 3-point tries from Bailey Russell during her illustrious career.
The senior has made a living from beyond the arc, consistently proving herself to be one of the area’s best deep-range shooters.
But the triple she hit on Tuesday night may have been her most memorable to date.
With 1:10 to play in a pivotal Ohio Valley Conference contest at Portsmouth, Russell received a pass from teammate Addison Godby, set her feet on the shoulder and buried a 3 to give Fairland a 42-39 lead over the Trojans.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
It was, eventually, the deciding factor in a 44-39 victory over the defending state champions.
“I wouldn’t have gotten that play if it wasn’t for [Fairland coach Jon Buchanan’s play] call,” Russell said. “We were running a screen with me and [Godby] and we were hoping they would double. They did and Addison did a great job of reading it and made a great pass. I shoot those 3’s every day in practice. It felt great, but I also knew we had to stay focused.”
Russell’s triple spelled out the end of a well-played game between both juggernauts. But not immediately.
The Dragons (5-0, 5-0 OVC) were tasked with getting a pair of defensive stops before Russell found a wide open Addyson Cornell for a runout bucket with less than 30 seconds to play, putting the win on ice.
“Everybody did their part,” Russell said. “Everybody did what they were supposed to. It was a group effort and we couldn’t have done it without every single player. We just have to stay focused. This was a great win. But that doesn’t mean we stop working. We get back in the gym and we keep working.”
Portsmouth’s Sienna Allen started the night’s scoring with 7:39 left in the first quarter, giving the Trojans an early 2-0 lead. The next points, however, wouldn’t come until the 3:54 mark when Fairland’s Taegan Leep hit one of two freebies — followed by a jumper from Godby, giving the Dragons their first lead at 3-2.
Throughout the rest of the first quarter, it was neck-and-neck — a sign of things to come.
Portsmouth’s KK Mays got into the scoring column and Fairland’s Lola Donahue followed suit before Allen and Godby traded foul shots. The end result was an 8-7 Dragon lead heading into the second.
Out of the break, Russell immediately dialed long distance, making it 11-7, and Godby scored 30 seconds later for a 13-7 count. When Cornell added two free throws, it polished off a 7-0 run, making it 15-7.
But the Trojans (4-2, 3-1 OVC) certainly weren’t going away anytime soon.
Allen, who was 8-for-8 at the charity stripe, nailed six straight free throws, cutting the deficit to 15-13 with 4:11 remaining. The Dragons answered with another 3 from Russell, before taking that five-point lead into halftime at 20-15.
With 7:11 left in the third, Fairland’s Isa Taliaferro joined the party with a 3-ball, extending the advantage to 23-16, followed by a score from Godby at the 6:30 mark. Then, after a score from Keke Woods on the other end, Leep sank a 3 to give the Dragons their largest lead of the night at 28-18 with 5:38 left.
But again, Portsmouth provided an answer.
Allen scored from the paint, Woods drove to the bucket and scored, and Hayven Carter used the glass to cut the deficit to 28-25. As time expired, Godby willed in a runner, putting the Dragons ahead 32-27 with eight minutes to play, but not before Portsmouth had climbed back into it.
Allen made it a four-point game at 34-30 early in the fourth, dialing long distance, and Mays hit a pair of freebies with 5:30 to go.
Rylee Russell then answered on the other end with a 3 of her own, making it 37-32. But the Trojans ripped off a 7-0 run — highlighted by a 3 from Salem Allen — to tie the score. When Sienna Allen scored with 3:31, it gave the Trojans their first lead since early in the first quarter at 39-37.
“We’ve been in that position so many times now because we are seniors,” Godby said. “But [Buchanan] told us that yesterday at practice. He told us that there’d be times we’d be down, but the important thing is that we get back up again. We knew that tonight. We had great bench energy and we just all stayed calm. We knew if we didn’t, we weren’t going to get back to the point where we could take the lead again.”
Fairland never wavered and never flinched.
Taliaferro scored on the next possession, making it 39-39 and giving way for Russell’s heroics less than two minutes later.
“It feels great [to get an important win],” Taliaferro said. “I think people think, ‘Oh, Kam [Barnitz] graduated and they haven’t played teams like Portsmouth. They were saying we weren’t ready for them or a big stage like this. So it feels great.”
Statistically, Bailey Russell led the Dragons with 11 points while Cornell added nine points, eight rebounds and two steals. Godby was also magnificent, posting nine points, five rebounds, four assists and four blocks.
Portsmouth was paced by Sienna Allen, who had 17 points and eight rebounds. Woods posted eight points, five rebounds, three assists and six steals. Mays also helped out with five points.
While the Trojans will attempt to bounce back at Gallia Academy on Friday night, Fairland will travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to play in the Beach Ball Classic. They’ll meet with Westside (S.C.) the same evening.
“I’m so proud of everyone. These past two weeks, we’ve been putting in so much work,” Taliaferro said. “The coaches have been practicing with us and pushing us. It’s hard when you have two 6-foot-6 guys guarding you in practice, but I’m thankful for everyone that’s put in the work.”
“A big thing is just to keep getting better,” Godby added. “That’s what ‘Pound the Rock’ is. It’s getting better every day. Every day, we’re in the gym focusing on the little things. We’re going to play Portsmouth again. They’re also going to get better. So we have to stay focused.”
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