Sports
Kelsey Hudson Powers Meigs Past River Valley In Tournament Play
By: Nathan Wiseman, Zahara Pruitt
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Cheers from the Meigs Lady Marauders locker room rang from The Plains to Pomeroy Wednesday night as Meigs downed the River Valley Lady Raiders 48-36 in the first round of the tournament.
Head Coach Amber Ridenour’s squad has struggled to secure victories all season long, but her Lady Marauders are now heading to the second round of the tournament.
The Lady Marauders (6-16) fell to River Valley twice this season and were itching for redemption on Wednesday night in Athens.
River Valley jumped out to an early 4-0 lead to begin the game, but Kelsey Hudson was only getting warmed up.
A rapid spark ignited in the heart of Hudson who netted seven straight points for the Lady Marauders. The junior guard continued to heat up throughout the rest of the first half, executing on all cylinders. She hustled for every loose ball, forcing four turnovers, and fought to the basket and snagged four rebounds. Hudson exploded from behind the arc, knocking down three of her four 3-point attempts.
The Lady Marauders outscored the Lady Raiders 12-6 in the second quarter to lift them to a 28-18 lead heading into intermission. Hudson’s hot streak was forced to come to an end, but not before the junior scored 20 of the Marauders’ 28 first half points.
Hudson’s success wouldn’t have been possible without her teammates who totaled eight assists on the night.
“We came out and worked hard,” Hudson said. “My team fed me the ball and we were able to pull ahead early.”
River Valley sprinted on the court with a new motivation in the second half. This new mindset was showcased by their 6-2 run to begin the half. Hudson took a breather and played more of a facilitator role in the second half but the Marauders showed no sign of slowing down with their point guard not at the reigns. Hudson finished with 24 points and junior guard Brooke Andrus finished the night with 13 points for Meigs. The duo combined for 77 percent of Meigs' offensive point production on the night.
The Lady Marauders are currently riding a two-game winning streak heading into the second round of the tournament. The Lady Marauders will battle the No. 1 seeded Nelsonville York Lady Buckeyes (14-5) on Saturday at Athens High School at 1 p.m.