Hardwood Heroes
Athens Lady Bulldogs take down the Vinton County Vikings, and now set eyes on the TVC title.
By: Caleb McCleskey
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Athens, Ohio (WOUB) – After winning against the Alexander Spartans for the second time this season, the Athens Lady Bulldogs hosted the Vinton County Vikings, Thursday, completing the season sweep 49-35.
In the previous matchup between Athens and Vinton County, the Bulldogs beat the Vikings on the road in a 56-39 win. With Vinton County looking to win this rematch, Athens needed this win to take a possible piece of the Tri-Valley Conference title.
Heading into the first quarter, Athens would come out on a raining start for a 8-3 lead. Whether it was getting easy layups at the rim, or hitting shots beyond the arc, the Bulldogs came ready to play. Quick offense would be the early playing style for Athens, but eventually Vinton County would make some adjustments.
By the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs would lead the Vikings 20-11, with Ella Chapman pouring in 10 points already to contribute to that 20-point start.
For the second quarter, the Vinton County defense decided to switch things up and change from their man-to-man offense to a 3-2 zone defense. The Vikings 3-2 defense would prove to be a daunting task for the Bulldogs as their early offensive efforts began to slow down.
At the end of the first half, Athens would lead Vinton County 31-17.
The second half would prove to be more of the same for both teams, as Athens would hold their lead for the entire game, while Vinton County would try to dig themselves out of a double digit hole.
But for the Athens Bulldogs head coach, Phil Koska, he believes that his team could still improve before they head into the postseason. “We gotta clean up a few things offensively, staying more focused. We’re young, we’ve had a few mental lapses, and we can’t have those, and we had a few of those tonight.”
By the end of the fourth quarter, Athens would win this conference matchup 49-35.
At the end of the game for the Bulldogs, Ella Chapman would provide 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists. Olivia Smart would have 9 points and 2 assists with Asa Holcombe applying 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Looking towards the future for the Athens Lady Bulldogs, they will face the Jackson Ironmen for their first postseason game of the season.