Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
GREENFIELD — Through moments of early and mid-to-late adversity, McClain coach Shania Massie never called timeout.
It was important that she let her team navigate the choppy waters.
“We struggled right out of the gates, but I wasn’t going to call timeout. There’s going to be games where we have to fight through adversity and the girls have to figure it out,” Massie said. “Hillsboro is a great team with three really good players, but the girls never gave up and battled through.”
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
It was a lesson learned, and one that produced winning results.
Despite facing an early deficit, the Tigers fought back and took sole possession of first place in the FAC standings with a 44-39 victory over the Indians, earning their eighth straight win.
“There’s been a lot of tension over the past couple of years with this game, considering they are our rival. So we knew it was going to be a close game,” McClain’s Paisley Pryor said. “It came down to us just sticking together when it mattered the most since we really wanted the win.”
When push came to shove, McClain (8-1, 5-0 FAC) turned to Leah Lovett in go-to moments, and the senior routinely delivered.
Whether it was knocking down a clutch shot or boxing out up a rebound, Lovett was a complete difference-maker, finishing with a game-high 16 points and nine rebounds.
“She gave 110 percent, and that’s probably the hardest I’ve ever seen her play,” Massie said. “Her offense was great, her defense was great, she hustled to the ball, played with a lot of confidence and did everything she possibly could to make sure we’d get the win.”
Early on, though, it was all Hillsboro (7-2, 4-1 FAC).
Ella Jordan was in full control, scoring seven of the Indians’ opening 13 points as they took a commanding 13-2 lead.
With no timeout being taken, the Tigers had to figure it out on the fly and they did just that. Following a bucket from Larah Henson, Lovett connected from distance to trim the deficit to 13-7 after the first quarter.
That was the spark the Tigers needed, and they began to attack.
PHOTOS: Images from McClain’s win over Hillsboro
Free throws from Lovett and Pryor helped chip into the Indians’ lead before Allie Burgess scored from deep as part of a 7-2 run that brought the score to 15-14.
After a stop, Burgess lined up again and sank a 3-ball to put McClain ahead, before Lovett later scored inside to give them a 19-18 lead at the break.
Both teams traded buckets to start the third, and eventually played to a 25-25 tie midway through the frame.
Lovett then buried her second triple of the night, putting the Tigers back ahead 28-25 heading into the fourth.
“Those are the only two 3’s I’ve ever made in my high school career,” Lovett said. “I’ve got to thank my teammates because they’re the ones who encouraged me to get out there and get over my fears of shooting from the outside.”
With neither offense having much success from the floor, it came down to the free throw line late and that worked very much in McClain’s favor.
Hillsboro’s Tylee Davis began assuring herself and became the shoulder-bearer for the Indians as she matched the Tigers bucket-for-bucket to keep her team afloat — she scored nine of the team’s 14 points in the frame.
Ultimately, though, the Tigers sank 12-of-16 free throws between Pryor, Henson and Brie Cummins, alongside two buckets inside from Lovett, to close the door on a victory.
“We talk about free throws a lot, and in games we’re not shooting great, those points help a lot,” Pryor said. “I think building each other up and giving encouragement helps a lot, and we made the shots when we needed to.”
Following Lovett’s final stat line, Pryor finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists, and Henson added nine points and 13 rebounds.
For Hillsboro, Davis finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Jordan ended the night with 14 points.
Hillsboro suffered a loss to Western Brown on Monday and aims to rebound next Monday at Lynchburg-Clay. Meanwhile, McClain returns to action on Jan. 3rd at Whiteoak for non-league action.
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