McClain earns share of FAC championship
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
HILLSBORO — Saturday was a wild day for the Frontier Athletic Conference for both the McClain Lady Tigers and the Miami Trace Lady Panthers, as a win by McClain and a loss by Miami Trace left them tied as co-FAC champions.
For that scenario to occur, two things had to happen on Saturday, and they did. The first thing was McClain took care of their side of business and defeated the Hillsboro Lady Indians by a 61-38 score at Hillsboro High School on “Super Saturday.” The second part of the scenario was completely out of the hands of McClain. Instead, they needed some help from the Washington Lady Blue Lions.
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Washington needed to defeat the Lady Panthers in their battle of Fayette County at Washington High School, and with a loss to Miami Trace earlier this season, and 10 wins to Washington’s credit, it was the first-place, 16-win Lady Panthers who were the favorites to win the game.
With Miami Trace already defeating the Lady Tigers on Thursday night — as McClain defeated the Lady Panthers earlier this season as well — Miami Trace held a one-game lead going into Saturday’s FAC rivalry showdown. Washington ended up leading after every frame and defeated the Lady Panthers by a 56-48 score, leaving both McClain and Miami Trace at 8-2 in the conference standings.
“I’m so happy for my girls,” McClain head coach Jarrod Haines told The Highland County Press Saturday evening following Washington’s win over Miami Trace. “Thursday our girls left everything they had on the court against Miami Trace, and it has been a tough few days since the loss. The girls held strong, got the win on Saturday, and I was proud of the girls and how they bounced back.
“We got the help we needed from Washington, and just the emotions we’ve all had the past few days … now with us earning a co-championship, I can’t put into words how proud I am of these girls. I’m happy for our seniors and our juniors because they’ve had to play since day one here, and now to be rewarded for all of their hard work, that is great for the kids.”
This is the first conference title for McClain since 2015 and the very first FAC championship for the program as the conference is its third year of existence. McClain’s most recent conference title was from the now-defunct South Central Ohio League, and they’ve also won conference championships in the Southern Buckeye Athletic & Academic Conference (SBAAC) in their past history.
As for the 2019-20 season, though, the Lady Tigers had one last conference game to win to keep their hopes of winning a co-FAC championship alive on Saturday afternoon, and they did that with flying colors, moving them to an overall record of 14-6 on the season.
Saturday’s FAC and rivalry showdown between McClain (8-2, 14-6) and Hillsboro (2-8, 6-16) was all Lady Indians at first as they came out strong and ready to work their best to defend their home court, putting together a 7-0 lead with 5:50 left in the opening quarter. The first points of the game were a jumper by Hillsboro’s Gracie Dean, plus a jump shot made by Josie Hopkins and Dean coming back with more points for HHS with a 3-pointer. Dean led the Lady Indians with 10 points, and Josie Hopkins totaled nine points.
McClain’s Jaelyn Pitzer sank a 3-pointer for the first points of the game for the Lady Tigers, and there were two points by Kyla Burchett for a 7-5 score. HHS added a free throw for a three-point lead, but that was erased with the Lady Tigers turning the corner with 11 consecutive points in the final 3:07 of the first to take a 16-8 lead.
The 11-0 run to end the first began with a basket by Burchett and a steal and layup by Emma Stegbauer. Next, at the 2:06 mark of the first, it was Burchett with two more points, and she was there again with another basket for a 13-8 lead. Bri Weller sank a freer throw with 37.9 on the clock, and a jumper by Josie Crabtree at the buzzer lifted the Lady Tigers to a 16-8 lead.
Burchett led the Lady Tigers with 26 points, scoring 23 of them in the first three frames and 16 of the points in the first half. Stegbauer was next with nine points.
Hillsboro got off to a strong start as they scored six straight points and eight of the 10 points scored within the first three minutes of the frame. Hillsboro opened the second with a layup by Brynn Bledsoe, followed by a 3-pointer by Dean and a jumper from Mallory Parsons for a 16-15 score with McClain still in the lead.
McClain stopped the scoring with 6:40 left in the second with Burchett standing pat and knocking down a basket for the Lady Tigers. HHS answered with two points by Dean, only to see the two teams exchange 3-pointers with Burchett and Bledsoe hitting those baskets. With the basket by Bledsoe, the play stayed alive with a running save near the baseline by Karleigh Hopkins, as Bledsoe finished with eight points and Karleigh Hopkins had seven points.
McClain ended the second with a three-point play from Payton Pryor, a basket from Burchett and two free throws by Stegbauer for the nine-point lead of 29-20.
McClain outscored Hillsboro 17-3 in the third, increasing their lead to 23 points at 46-23. In the fourth, both teams scored 15 points.
Burchett began the third with a 3-pointer, and following two points by Bledsoe, Stegbauer converted a three-point play and Weller sank two free throws for a 39-22 lead with 2:26 left in the quarter. Bledsoe scored the final point of the third for HHS with a free throw, and MHS added seven points to their lead with a 3-pointer by Crabtree, two points by Pryor and two points from Burchett. Pryor wrapped up the game with seven points.
“We had a bad third quarter for sure, and it started at the end of the second and almost all of the third,” Hillsboro head coach JR Moberly said. “At that point, it was over. We didn’t shoot the ball well, we didn’t get enough shots and we didn’t play well defensively. (McClain) executed and did a nice job of that. Kyla had a super first half against us, and when our opponent scores that many points it becomes difficult for us, and we let it get away.”
In the fourth, the Lady Tigers never saw their lead fall lower than 18 points, with their 15 points in the quarter coming from Weller, Pryor, Iva Easter, Burchett, Madison Beatty and Stegbauer. Burchett made a 3-pointer in the fourth.
HHS had scoring by Kayden Watson, Josie Hopkins and Karleigh Hopkins in the fourth frame, with Karleigh Hopkins sinking a 3-pointer.
“Our seniors got a start, and it was a great start to the game,” Moberly said. “I appreciate all the fans and family who came and supported all of our seniors. I appreciate all of the things our seniors have done over the years, and basketball isn’t over. They still have another one or two, or however many they want to play, but we want to take a minute today and appreciate all that they have done in the past and look forward to what they are going to give back in the future.”
As a team, the Lady Indians were 4-of-10 from the free-throw line (40 percent), and McClain was 7-of-10 (70 percent).
For Hillsboro, it was senior night as they honored their seniors before the game. The seniors for Hillsboro are Kayden Watson, Josie Hopkins, Karleigh Hopkins, Jordan Moberly and Christine Page. McClain has two seniors on their roster, and they are Madison Beatty and Cierra Bolender.
For that scenario to occur, two things had to happen on Saturday, and they did. The first thing was McClain took care of their side of business and defeated the Hillsboro Lady Indians by a 61-38 score at Hillsboro High School on “Super Saturday.” The second part of the scenario was completely out of the hands of McClain. Instead, they needed some help from the Washington Lady Blue Lions.
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Washington needed to defeat the Lady Panthers in their battle of Fayette County at Washington High School, and with a loss to Miami Trace earlier this season, and 10 wins to Washington’s credit, it was the first-place, 16-win Lady Panthers who were the favorites to win the game.
With Miami Trace already defeating the Lady Tigers on Thursday night — as McClain defeated the Lady Panthers earlier this season as well — Miami Trace held a one-game lead going into Saturday’s FAC rivalry showdown. Washington ended up leading after every frame and defeated the Lady Panthers by a 56-48 score, leaving both McClain and Miami Trace at 8-2 in the conference standings.
“I’m so happy for my girls,” McClain head coach Jarrod Haines told The Highland County Press Saturday evening following Washington’s win over Miami Trace. “Thursday our girls left everything they had on the court against Miami Trace, and it has been a tough few days since the loss. The girls held strong, got the win on Saturday, and I was proud of the girls and how they bounced back.
“We got the help we needed from Washington, and just the emotions we’ve all had the past few days … now with us earning a co-championship, I can’t put into words how proud I am of these girls. I’m happy for our seniors and our juniors because they’ve had to play since day one here, and now to be rewarded for all of their hard work, that is great for the kids.”
This is the first conference title for McClain since 2015 and the very first FAC championship for the program as the conference is its third year of existence. McClain’s most recent conference title was from the now-defunct South Central Ohio League, and they’ve also won conference championships in the Southern Buckeye Athletic & Academic Conference (SBAAC) in their past history.
As for the 2019-20 season, though, the Lady Tigers had one last conference game to win to keep their hopes of winning a co-FAC championship alive on Saturday afternoon, and they did that with flying colors, moving them to an overall record of 14-6 on the season.
Saturday’s FAC and rivalry showdown between McClain (8-2, 14-6) and Hillsboro (2-8, 6-16) was all Lady Indians at first as they came out strong and ready to work their best to defend their home court, putting together a 7-0 lead with 5:50 left in the opening quarter. The first points of the game were a jumper by Hillsboro’s Gracie Dean, plus a jump shot made by Josie Hopkins and Dean coming back with more points for HHS with a 3-pointer. Dean led the Lady Indians with 10 points, and Josie Hopkins totaled nine points.
McClain’s Jaelyn Pitzer sank a 3-pointer for the first points of the game for the Lady Tigers, and there were two points by Kyla Burchett for a 7-5 score. HHS added a free throw for a three-point lead, but that was erased with the Lady Tigers turning the corner with 11 consecutive points in the final 3:07 of the first to take a 16-8 lead.
The 11-0 run to end the first began with a basket by Burchett and a steal and layup by Emma Stegbauer. Next, at the 2:06 mark of the first, it was Burchett with two more points, and she was there again with another basket for a 13-8 lead. Bri Weller sank a freer throw with 37.9 on the clock, and a jumper by Josie Crabtree at the buzzer lifted the Lady Tigers to a 16-8 lead.
Burchett led the Lady Tigers with 26 points, scoring 23 of them in the first three frames and 16 of the points in the first half. Stegbauer was next with nine points.
Hillsboro got off to a strong start as they scored six straight points and eight of the 10 points scored within the first three minutes of the frame. Hillsboro opened the second with a layup by Brynn Bledsoe, followed by a 3-pointer by Dean and a jumper from Mallory Parsons for a 16-15 score with McClain still in the lead.
McClain stopped the scoring with 6:40 left in the second with Burchett standing pat and knocking down a basket for the Lady Tigers. HHS answered with two points by Dean, only to see the two teams exchange 3-pointers with Burchett and Bledsoe hitting those baskets. With the basket by Bledsoe, the play stayed alive with a running save near the baseline by Karleigh Hopkins, as Bledsoe finished with eight points and Karleigh Hopkins had seven points.
McClain ended the second with a three-point play from Payton Pryor, a basket from Burchett and two free throws by Stegbauer for the nine-point lead of 29-20.
McClain outscored Hillsboro 17-3 in the third, increasing their lead to 23 points at 46-23. In the fourth, both teams scored 15 points.
Burchett began the third with a 3-pointer, and following two points by Bledsoe, Stegbauer converted a three-point play and Weller sank two free throws for a 39-22 lead with 2:26 left in the quarter. Bledsoe scored the final point of the third for HHS with a free throw, and MHS added seven points to their lead with a 3-pointer by Crabtree, two points by Pryor and two points from Burchett. Pryor wrapped up the game with seven points.
“We had a bad third quarter for sure, and it started at the end of the second and almost all of the third,” Hillsboro head coach JR Moberly said. “At that point, it was over. We didn’t shoot the ball well, we didn’t get enough shots and we didn’t play well defensively. (McClain) executed and did a nice job of that. Kyla had a super first half against us, and when our opponent scores that many points it becomes difficult for us, and we let it get away.”
In the fourth, the Lady Tigers never saw their lead fall lower than 18 points, with their 15 points in the quarter coming from Weller, Pryor, Iva Easter, Burchett, Madison Beatty and Stegbauer. Burchett made a 3-pointer in the fourth.
HHS had scoring by Kayden Watson, Josie Hopkins and Karleigh Hopkins in the fourth frame, with Karleigh Hopkins sinking a 3-pointer.
“Our seniors got a start, and it was a great start to the game,” Moberly said. “I appreciate all the fans and family who came and supported all of our seniors. I appreciate all of the things our seniors have done over the years, and basketball isn’t over. They still have another one or two, or however many they want to play, but we want to take a minute today and appreciate all that they have done in the past and look forward to what they are going to give back in the future.”
As a team, the Lady Indians were 4-of-10 from the free-throw line (40 percent), and McClain was 7-of-10 (70 percent).
For Hillsboro, it was senior night as they honored their seniors before the game. The seniors for Hillsboro are Kayden Watson, Josie Hopkins, Karleigh Hopkins, Jordan Moberly and Christine Page. McClain has two seniors on their roster, and they are Madison Beatty and Cierra Bolender.