Larah Henson sends McClain to FAC girls basketball championship

GREENFIELD — A Frontier Athletic Conference championship was on the line Saturday at McClain Gym, and it was sophomore Larah Henson who lifted the Lady Tigers to victory, as she made a clutch put-back basket with 2.3 seconds left in regulation, sending the Lady Tigers to a 39-37 victory over rival Hillsboro.

En route to their first FAC championship since 2020 — and their 12th overall conference title in program history — McClain trailed by nine points 40 seconds into the fourth quarter following a 3-pointer by Hillsboro’s Peighton Bledsoe with 7:21 left in regulation. 

“My girls, they fought there to the end. I think we were going into the fourth quarter, we were down 10 points, you know, we fought against that adversity pretty well,” McClain head coach Shania Massie said. “We responded very well. I can't be more proud of my girls. They fought through that the entire game. 

“Larah finished. She missed that first shot, but she finished as she went up, put it right back in. That's what it takes to be a great player. She knew the score and the situation, and I think she executed that very well.”

Down 34-25, the Lady Tigers had a turnover, but the Lady Indians were later called for an offensive foul that saw Hillsboro’s season-leading scorer Tylee Davis foul out with 6:29 on the clock. 

McClain — who earlier in the season defeated Hillsboro 51-49 at HHS — responded with a 3-pointer by Paisley Pryor at the 6:04 mark of the fourth, and a timeout was called. 

“In that timeout, the thing is you have to get after it, so I just put my fastest, my best defensive players out there, and they executed that (full-court press) so well. That’s exactly how I wanted it to go,” Massie said. 

Following the timeout, McClain scored two points from Henson, off a HHS turnover with 5:50 left in regulation, getting to within four points of the Lady Indians lead. 

Henson later brought the Lady Tigers to within one possession of tying HHS with a put-back basket with 3:28 on the clock for a 34-32 score. Following numerous turnovers and multiple fouls (Hillsboro was called for three offensive fouls in the fourth quarter), the Lady Indians had a second player foul out in the latter moments of the fourth frame, this time being Ella Jordan with 2:48 on the clock. 

Though the two teams continued to battle, Henson tied the score at 34 with a basket with 1:58 on the clock, and McClain took the lead with a layup by Pryor — off a Lady Indians turnover — with the clock reading 1:43 for a 36-34 advantage. 

Hillsboro came back, tying the score at 36 with two free throws made by Kobie Miles, and Henson made a free throw of her own with 59.7 left in regulation, putting the Lady Tigers ahead 37-36 in a game where every point mattered. 

The Lady Indians tied the score at 37 with a free throw by Miles at the 31.7 mark of the fourth, then came a McClain timeout. 

McClain had possession of the ball with 21.8 on the clock, and as time ticked away, they went for the game-winning shot by Henson, but it bounced off the rim, but it was Henson who caught the rebound off her own shot, then sank a put-back basket that swished through the hoop with 2.3 left in the game. 

Hillsboro was unable to get a final shot, and it was celebration time for the Lady Tigers as the clock hit all zeroes as McClain won the outright FAC championship with one conference game remaining on their schedule. 

“Paisley and Larah, they both were focused. They were both ready. They knew what the game plan was. They played their best. They fought that adversity together,” Massie said. “They did everything they could, because they're those good players that want to get that victory. They want to pursue in basketball. I couldn't ask any more out of them. They played their hearts out.

“Anna (Eikenberry) didn’t have a high scoring game, but that’s OK, because she excelled on the defensive end. We came out knowing what we had to do to stop this team. As much film as we watch, we broke them down little by little. My girls came in this morning, happy as can be, knew what we were doing, had a shoot around. I couldn’t have asked for a better game for us. This is perfect for us going into the tournament.”

The win puts McClain at 9-0 in the FAC and 19-1 overall, winning their 18th consecutive game of the season. Hillsboro will finish in second place in the FAC with a conference record of 8-2 (both losses to MHS), and they are currently 16-3 overall. 

Pryor led the Lady Tigers with 15 points, and Henson followed with 14 points, scoring nine points in the fourth quarter. Also for McClain, Brenna Wright and Leah Lovett each scored four points, and Anna Eikenberry totaled two points. 

Massie also spoke about the defense of Katie Cook. 

“We had Katie Cook face guarding. That's one of her great roles in this basketball team. She ended up getting in a couple of their heads and got them fouled out, and that honestly helped us out tremendously,” Massie said. 

Bledsoe led Hillsboro with 12 points, followed by Jordan with nine points. Miles and Davis each scored five points, while Dinah Ames and Kyra Boyd each scored three points. 

The start of the rivalry game was mostly McClain, as the jam-packed gym witnessed the Lady Tigers score the first seven points of the game as they led 7-1 at the end of the first quarter. 

McClain opened the game with a 3-pointer from Henson with 6:17 on the clock and followed that with two points by Wright, as she was fouled on the shot. Nearly three minutes later, Pryor scored two points for the aforementioned 7-0 lead. HHS scored their first point of the game with around 2:00 left in the quarter off a free throw by Davis. 

Though the Lady Indians missed their first 10 shots of the game, they played much improved in the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Tigers 15-8 in the frame, and taking a halftime lead of 16-15. 

McClain increased their lead to 10 points with a free throw by Pryor, and later the sophomore made a 3-pointer at the 6:59 mark for an 11-1 advantage. 

Hillsboro responded with a 15-1 run from the 6:30 mark to the 1:25 mark of the second for a 16-11 lead. Hillsboro’s run started with a jumper by Davis, followed by Davis scoring two more points off a fast-break layup. Next came two points by Bledsoe off a steal, and after a timeout, Bledsoe drove to the hoop for another basket. 

With 3:25 left in the third, Ames drained a 3-pointer to put the Lady Indians ahead 12-11, and HHS added to that lead with four more points, including a bucket by Bledsoe, for a 16-11 advantage with 1:25 on the clock. 

McClain ended the second quarter scoring with a basket by Pryor to make it a one-point game at 16-15 when halftime arrived. 

Hillsboro led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter following a three-point play by Jordan with 1:16 on the clock for a 31-21 score. Before that basket, the Lady Tigers started the third with two free throws by Wright, but Boyd answered with a 3-pointer for a 19-17 HHS lead. 

Jordan scored the next six Hillsboro points, and in between that were two free throws made by Pryor, resulting in Hillsboro leading 25-19 with 2:35 left in the third. Miles made a 3-pointer with 2:02 left in the quarter, but the Lady Tigers didn’t back down, adding two free throws by Henson. 

Jordan continued her strong third frame with a three-point play, but MHS ended the third with points by Lovett and Wright for a 31-25 score as HHS outscored McClain in the quarter, 15-10. 

For the game, MHS had 18 fouls, as they also collected 11 two-point baskets, three 3-pointers, and they were 8-of-17 from the free-throw line. Hillsboro finished with 22 fouls, plus they collected nine two-point baskets, four 3-pointers, and they went 7-of-13 from the free-throw line. 

As this is just Massie’s second season as the Lady Tigers’ head coach, she took a moment to let it all sink in. 

“To be completely honest, I never thought I’d be here last year, this being my second year as coach and this is what we’d achieve,” Massie said. “One of my biggest things is keeping positive with my team and creating an atmosphere where they can enjoy it and have fun. 

“Building relationships is a key thing here, and my girls know I would do anything in the world for them, and I know they would do the same exact thing. We just have a great connection here, a great atmosphere, and honestly, I’m at a loss for words.”

The Lady Tigers still have to face Miami Trace next Wednesday (Feb. 5) as they go for a perfect FAC season, but on Monday they are back on the court in a non-conference game vs. the Logan Elm Lady Braves at 7 p.m. 

Hillsboro will be on the road Monday, Feb. 3 in a non-conference game at Wilmington with a 6 p.m. start. 

(Editor's note: Check back as more photos will be added to the article)

BOX SCORE 
HHS    01 15 15 06 — 37
MHS    07 08 10 14 — 39

MCCLAIN (39) — L.Henson 4 (1) 3-6 14, P.Pryor 3 (2) 3-4 15, B.Wright 1 (0) 2-3 4, B.Cummins 0 (0) 0-4 0, A.Eikenberry 1 (0) 0-0 2, L.Lovett 2 (0) 0-0 4. TOTALS: 11 (3) 8-17 39.

HILLSBORO (37) — P.Bledsoe 3 (2) 0-0 12, K.Miles 1 (0) 3-6 5, E.Jordan 3 (0) 3-5 9, T.Davis 2 (0) 1-2 5, D.Ames 0 (1) 0-0 3, K.Boyd 0 (1) 0-0 3. TOTALS: 9 (4) 7-13 37.

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