Sports
Lady Vikings Barely Escape with Win in Battle for TVC-Ohio
By: Jack Gleckler
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Thursday night in Vinton County, the Alexander Lady Spartans squared off against the Vinton County Lady Vikings in the game that decided the TVC.
From the beginning, both Alexander and Vinton County were fighting for early dominance. The first quarter saw a constant back and forth where neither team was far ahead for very long. Even by halftime, the Lady Vikings held a narrow six-point lead that didn’t seem like it would last long.
The second half was an uphill fight for the Lady Spartans, fighting tooth and nail to keep pace with Vinton County, who never let up the pressure and made sure to wear them thin. The game ended up being determined by free throws, as a free throw by Marlee Grinstead squared it up at 48 with five minutes left in the fourth, and Morgan Bentley picked up a marginal two-point lead in the last 37 seconds. Ultimately, Alexander couldn’t respond, and the Lady Vikings edged it out 54-53.
Leading the way for the Lady Spartans was Rachel Richardson, who scored 20 points on the night and went 6-for-6 on free throws. Stepping up for Vinton County was Tegan Bartoe, who led all scorers with 23 points.
While it was a tough loss for Jeff Grinstead’s team, he’s still focused on loftier aspirations.
“It was a tough loss tonight,” Grinstead said. “Our goal this season isn’t to be TVC champs. We’ve got higher goals than that, we want to try and make a run at the tournament.”
Vinton County head coach Rod Bentley was happy with his team’s effort and their trajectory for the season.
“It’s a group of tough girls that I’ve got here,” Vinton County head coach Rod Bentley said. “We want to go for our back to back title, by beating Alexander I feel we’ve separated ourselves a bit.”
The Lady Spartans will play Oak Hill at home on Monday, and the Lady Vikings host Jackson the same night.