Alexander uses gritty defense to win on the road
By: Joshua Jacob
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McARTHUR, Ohio (WOUB) — The undefeated Alexander Spartans traveled to McArthur to take on the 3-2 Vinton County Vikings in an early TVC-Ohio matchup. The Spartans came away with a strong defensive win, 48-32.
The Vikings tried to establish themselves from behind the 3-point line, but the Spartans’ defense kept the passing lanes closed and forced Vinton County into tough shots in the paint.
Alexander took the opposite approach, working the ball inside and opening driving lanes to the basket with floaters and midrange jumpers.
The Spartans kept up consistent scoring and tough defense to build a lead by halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Vikings were hungry. They poked the ball away in transition and got easy buckets in the paint.
They cut the lead to 10 before Lily Rider hit a midrange jumper to stop Vinton County’s momentum.
From there, Alexander’s defense didn’t waver. The Spartans were even more aggressive in transition, cleaning up their passing to find open looks and maintain their lead.
Head coach Morgan Grinstead said she wants the defense to drive the offense.
“I preach that defense turns into our offense. So if we’re getting steals and deflections, we want that to translate into offense.”
Alexander will return home to play Wellston on Tuesday. Vinton County will travel to face Nelsonville-York on Friday.