Sports
N-Y Comeback Attempt Falls Short, Vinton County Remains Unbeaten
By: Will Price
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Nelsonville-York kept hanging around. Every time the unbeaten Vinton County Lady Vikings scored to extend their lead, the Lady Buckeyes had a response. They chipped away from a double-digit halftime deficit to get the lead down to six with a few minutes remaining.
Lacie Williams had the three that capped off the night.
Williams hit the clutch shot that finally put Nelsonville-York (11-9, 6-4 TVC-Ohio) away 54-46 as Vinton County (16-0, 9-0) remains undefeated on the season.
The Lady Vikings struck first, building an early first quarter lead that the Lady Buckeyes quickly chipped away at. N-Y retook the lead late in the quarter, but Josie Ousley had a buzzer-beating layup to put Vinton County back in front 17-15.
The second quarter served as a turning point. The Lady Vikings’ defense swarmed N-Y, only allowing one made shot. They avoided fouling and created turnovers. Offensively, they got out in transition for their buckets to build a 12-point cushion going into halftime. They were led by a monster performance by Morgan Bentley, who had double-double – racking up 19 points and 15 rebounds, and leading the Lady Vikings in both categories.
The Lady Buckeyes would not go away in the second half. Joscelyn Heller would lead the way for them offensively, ending the night with 17 points. Mary-Kate McCulloch also had 12 with seven rebounds as the Lady Buckeyes climbed out of their early hole.
They started by getting quality looks offensively, making sure to take their time and control the ball. They reduced the deficit to single-digits early in the fourth quarter.
The comeback fell short in the end. N-Y could never get it back to a one possession game as Williams and Bentley made sure the team emerged victorious.
The Lady Buckeyes showed they could compete with the best of the best, but head coach Bobby Cassady said the team needed to put out a complete game to defeat the Lady Vikings.
“Felt good about the second half. First half, we made some bad mistakes. Against a team like that, you got to play two halves … We just didn’t have it in the second quarter,” said Cassady.
N-Y’s next game is Monday against the Wellston Lady Rockets.
Vinton County will play Warren Friday, Feb. 1.