Sports
Belpre Squeezes by Trimble to Capture Sectional Title
By: Brandon Monty
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The Belpre Lady Golden Eagles cut down the nets at Meigs High School on Thursday night, capturing the sectional championship with a down-to-the-wire victory over the Trimble Lady Tomcats.
For Belpre, Kyna Waderker led the way with 22 points and nine rebounds on 9 of 16 shooting. Despite the junior center fouling out midway through the fourth, the Lady Golden Eagles held on for a 40-37 victory.
Sydney Spencer also chipped in with eight points, including two 3-pointers. Abbey LaFatch struggled from the field, but found other ways to contribute, finishing with seven rebounds, six assists and four steals.
On the Trimble side, Emily Young paced the Lady Tomcats with 12 points. Jayne Six added eight points, including four free throws.
The two squads traded blows throughout the game. Trimble jumped ahead early and led 15-11 after the first before the Lady Golden Eagles outscored Trimble 15-7 in the second to take a four-point lead into the half. Midway through the third quarter, Belpre’s Kaitlin Richards hit back-to-back 3-pointers to extend Belpre’s lead to 10, the widest margin of the game.
Despite the momentum shift, the Lady Tomcats were able to recover and force several turnovers to chip away at the deficit. Belpre held a 1-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, where there was no scoring for the first four minutes.
In the final minute, the Lady Tomcats were down one, had the ball and an opportunity to take the lead. Young drove into the lane and fell just short on a floater, which was rebounded by LaFatch who then delivered a pinpoint outlet to Spencer who converted an easy transition layup to increase the deficit to three. Six had an opportunity to tie it with a 3-point shot in the final seconds, but could not convert, sealing the victory for Belpre.
Despite the setback, Trimble head coach Joe Richards was optimistic that his team will bounce back and use this loss for motivation for next year.
“It’s not too often you get to bring back eight players,” Richards said. “I believe that we can use this loss and come back stronger next year from it.”
Belpre will take on the winner of the Peebles vs. Green matchup taking place on Saturday.