Hardwood Heroes Sports
Lady Vikings Get Revenge for Earlier Loss to Lady Buckeyes
By: Jacob Murray
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NELSONVILLE, Ohio- The Nelsonville-York Lady Buckeyes were flying high after defeating the Vinton County Lady Vikings earlier this month on the road. They ended the Lady Vikings home winning streak, as they hadn’t lost at home since 2017.
The Lady Buckeyes had the confidence to try and do it again, they wanted to pull off the upset. However, it’s hard to take down a four-time defending TVC-Ohio champ with their backs against the wall, and Head Coach Rod Bentley had his girls fired up, and they came out firing out of the half, taking down the Lady Buckeyes in Nelsonville 74-59.
Vinton County (15-5, 9-1 in TVC-Ohio) came out hot early on, scoring the first six points in the game, but the Nelsonville-York Lady Buckeyes (12-4, 7-2) came right back at them. This had the feeling of a heavy-weight fight, as both teams went on runs to start the game.
Coming into the half, it was clear that the struggle for the Lady Vikings was from three, usually the team’s strong point. They went 3-20 from downtown in the first half, and this kept the game close as they went into the locker rooms up 25-21.
Then, came the third quarter onslaught from the Lady Vikes
Vinton County scored the first five points of the half, then NY countered with a two point basket, but that would be the last time the Lady Buckeyes scored for a while.
VC went on a 15-0 run in that third quarter to completely pull away from the Lady Buckeyes, outscoring them 27-6 in that quarter alone. Coach Bentley had high praise for the way his girls played.
“I’ll give it to my team tonight, they really wanted this one,” he said. “It was a little personal for them.”
The Lady Viking had their balanced attack tonight, led by Junior Morgan Bentley with 18 points and 13 rebounds while adding two steals and a block. Fellow Junior Teagan Bartoe had an all-around performance tonight, even after a scary moment. With 4:09 left in the third quarter, Bartoe got tangled with the Lady Buckeyes Haley Hurd and took a hard fall, holding her back. She fought through the pain, and finished the night with 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists, along with two blocks and three steals.
Sophomore Cameron Zinn added 18 points and eight rebounds, while Sophomore Lacie Williams had 14 points, sparking their third quarter run with a couple of threes early in the third.
For the Lady Buckeyes, Sophomore Mackenzie Hurd had to deal with the tough Lady Vikings defense all night long, but she caught fire in the fourth quarter, though it was too late to make a difference in this one. She finished the night with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. Senior Joscelyn Heller chipped in 15 points and the other Hurd sister Haley Hurd had 11 points and 6 rebounds.
“We were all dialed in a little more, we had laser focus,” Morgan Bentley said after their victory. “They were all happy and excited about it last time, but we kinda gave it back to them tonight.”
The Lady Vikings will host the River Valley Lady Raiders next Monday night, while the Lady Buckeyes will host the Jackson Ironladies this Saturday.