Hardwood Heroes
Alexander faulters as River Valley’s press too much to handle
By: Ty Carpenter
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IDWELL, Ohio (WOUB)— The Alexander Lady Spartans (13-8) traveled to take on the River Valley Lady Raiders (18-4) on senior night for a coveted TVC-Ohio matchup and fell 51-36.
In the first quarter, defense was the name of the game. The Raiders would go up 6-2 in the first four minutes of the contest, but the Spartans would storm back and stop River Valley’s momentum, holding the Raiders to an 8-6 lead after the first.
But in the second quarter, River Valley would get rolling. They started off hot with an 8 to 1 run, pioneered by Carlee Manley’s efficient shooting and Kallie Burger’s ability to draw fouls for easy points. Alexander would not be out of it for long though, fighting back with a 7 to 0 run of their own to bring the game back within two. The first half would finish with a 19-16 Raiders lead.
River Valley’s press defense would begin to shine in the second half. Turnovers became an increasingly large problem for the Spartans, allowing the Raiders to start the half strong with a 9 to 1 run off the backs of quick points and steals by Laella Mullins and Kallie Burger. Alexander attempted to get back into the game, but they could only keep pace with River Valley for the rest of the quarter, finishing the third at 32-23 River Valley.
These struggles would only continue in the final quarter of the game, with the Raiders outscoring Alexander 19 to 13, and despite a late push by the Spartans, River Valley would ultimately win the contest by a score of 51-36.
The primary struggle for Alexander in this contest was turnovers, as the team amassed 20 of them, thanks in part to River Valley’s relentless press defense throughout the entirety of the matchup.
With this loss, the Alexander Lady Spartans fall further to 13-8 on the season and 7-5 in conference, while the River Valley Lady Raiders improve to 18-4 and 9-3 respectively. The Spartans look to host Dawson-Bryant (9-12) on February 10th, while the Raiders look forward to the tournament, taking on the Chesapeake Lady Panthers (13-9).