Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
GREENFIELD — Coming into Thursday’s Division IV district quarterfinal, McClain knew that it had its hands full.
Waverly was coming to pay a visit in a do-or-die contest and after suffering a loss to McClain earlier this season, revenge was definitely on the menu.
But the home Tigers pieced together a game plan and executed it to near perfection.
“We definitely knew that Waverly wanted to take the ball in transition,” McClain coach Shania Massie said. “[Waverly’s] Paige O’Bryant is a great player. She’s quick, she’s their playmaker and she was someone we had to stop. That was part of our game plan. So we had to stop the ball in transition and we were able to tag up on [O’Bryant]. She got some drives on us, but I feel like we played pretty decently. We had some calls not go our way, but that’s OK. It’ll make us a better ball team.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
O’Bryant certainly made her mark with a game-high 21 points but she was matched at every step by McClain’s Paisley Pryor, Larah Henson or Leah Lovett, who powered the Tigers to a 55-41 season-extending victory.
Pryor and Henson combined for 30 of McClain’s 55 points alongside 19 rebounds and six assists.
The pair was phenomenal all night long and when opportunities presented themselves, both juniors took full advantage.
“They’re my girls,” Massie said of Henson and Pryor. “I’ve had them since they were in the eighth grade, so I have a really good bond with them. They do everything I ask of them. They respect me and I respect them. They’ve only lost one game [at McClain] in the past two years. So they love to play in this gym and they love being together on the court. It makes a difference.”
Flanking Pryor and Henson’s performances was Lovett, who McClain consistently worked the ball to inside the paint.
Her strength was apparent as she bullied defenders and earned second chance scoring opportunities, many of which McClain cashed in on.
“She’s probably one of the strongest players I’ve ever coached,” Massie said of Lovett. “She uses her body well and when we played Waverly at Waverly [on Jan. 17], I think she was our leading scorer. So we knew they were going to try and stop her. We prepared for that and we were able to come up with a game plan. I feel like we came together and executed that tonight.”
O’Bryant gave Waverly an early 2-0 lead but McClain’s Brie Cummins immediately answered with a 3-ball on the other end. Waverly went back ahead 5-3 and later at 11-10 but after McClain retook the lead with a bucket from Kenzie West at the 2:29 mark in the first quarter, Massie’s Tigers never trailed again.
McClain took a 14-11 advantage into the second and built a 21-14 lead behind scores from Pryor and Cummins. Pryor later scored to make it 27-24 but Waverly ended the first half on a 4-0 burst, courtesy of O’Bryant and Taryn Gillott.
In the third, much of the same took place, only McClain was able to capitalize on earned momentum and prevent any sort of counterpunch.
Pryor scored twice early in the third before Henson dialed long distance for a 37-29 count. When Allie Burgess scored with 2:54 to go, it gave McClain its largest lead to that point at 39-29.
And, after taking a 41-34 lead into the fourth, McClain seemed to only play better.
She hit another 3 with 7:13 left to play, producing a 46-34 tally, before Pryor later followed suit to make it 51-37. From there, it was smooth sailing into a district semifinal.
Statistically, O’Bryant led Waverly with 21 points and five rebounds while Royster finished with 11 points. Calli Knight also chipped in with eight points and three boards.
Pryor paced her Tigers with a team-high 17 points alongside nine rebounds and three assists while Henson added a double-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds and three helpers. Lovett also had 13 points to go with seven rebounds, while Brie Cummins finished with six points and three assists.
While the Tigers’ season comes to a close, McClain advances to a Division IV district semifinal at 8 p.m., Wednesday night at Logan.
The Tigers will meet with Logan Elm for a second time this season. The two’s first meeting, way back on Nov. 25, went in the Braves’ favor by a 48-40 final.
That was then and this is now. Both teams are different and both teams are better. Needless to say, the stars are aligning to produce an instant classic.
“We played them in our first game of the season and lost by eight,” Massie said. “I think it’s going to be a good matchup. They’re a better team now, but so are we. It was a close game all the way through. We played hard and all the way through it. So I feel like we have a chance. I told the girls they have a great opportunity to win a district title. Every team that we play and every team in our league is equivalent. So I feel like we have a shot. It’s just about who wants it more and executing our game plan.”
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