Ryder records double-double, Spartans down Buckeyes

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NELSONVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) – The Alexander Spartans traveled to Nelsonville to face off against the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes on Monday and came away with a 52-39 victory thanks to their tough defense. 

The Spartans’ defense forced eleven turnovers in the first quarter, but those turnovers didn’t necessarily translate to points early on. Nelsonville-York’s Madi Pidcock hit a three-pointer while being fouled and cashed in the ensuing free throw early in the game, which made The Nut House start to go crazy. Alexander closed out the quarter on a 6-0 run and led 12-10 after one period of play. 

The momentum generated at the end of the first carried on into the second quarter for Alexander. The Spartans found a way to turn their steals into points, and they outscored the Buckeyes 15-6 in that span, and took a 27-16 lead into the break. Senior McKenna Moore snagged eight rebounds in the period, giving her 10 at the half. 

In the third quarter, the physicality of both squads was on full display. Both teams were driving through the defense and drawing fouls left and right. This led to a combined total of 15 free throws being shot in the period between Alexander and Nelsonville-York. 

Lily Ryder and Kaylee Hudnall caught fire and combined for 14 points in the third quarter, giving the Spartans a 43-27 lead after three quarters of play. 

The foul trouble that Nelsonville-York got into earlier caught up with them in the final stretch of the game, as three Buckeyes fouled out in the fourth quarter. They made a late push, but ultimately fell short, as the Spartans walked away with a 52-39 victory. 

The Spartans were led in scoring by Ryder, who recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds. Hudnall also got into double figures, as she put 14 points on the board, and Moore dropped eight points and corralled 12 rebounds in the victory. 

The Buckeyes were led in scoring by Madi Pidcock, who put up 16 points and shot 4/8 from three-point range and Alayna Okulich who recorded eleven points. 

Alexander will look to keep the ball rolling as they close out their regular season games. They play Meigs twice this week, and their final game before the postseason will be at home against Warren this Saturday. 

As for the Buckeyes, they’ll look to bounce back on the road against Huntington Tuesday, and will end their regular season Thursday at Athens.