Lady Indians gain 2nd tournament win; race past South Point in quarterfinals

In their second Division IV SE District Tournament game of the week, the Hillsboro Lady Indians defended their home field for a second time, defeating the South Point Pointers, 5-1 Wednesday at Hillsboro High School.

Entering the game, South Point had a streak of six consecutive shutouts, including a 4-0 win in tournament play against Logan Elm on Monday. Also entering the game, SPHS had outscored their opponents 83-23 this season, were on an eight-game winning streak and won the Ohio Valley Conference with a 10-0 record.

“We had a great defensive game from Meredith Dietrick. She's killing it back there. She's leading back there. She's talking constantly. She's being a great leader from the back,” Hillsboro head coach Amanda Miller said. “Then Kobie Miles up top … she had a great night with four goals, finally getting her groove back and scoring again. She kind of had a down time there for a while.

“We also had center mid Arianna Evans with a great night tonight. She held down the center for us, along with Ella Jordan and Peighton (Bledsoe) up top. They work together. All the girls have come together as a team. They've been talking more, they're passing the ball better and they're improving every game.”

The shutout streak and winning streak by SPHS was ended by Hillsboro, starting with the performance by HHS junior Kobie Miles. Miles finished with four goals, including a first-half hat trick, starting with the first goal of the game with 25:10 on the clock, putting HHS ahead 1-0.

Miles scored the game’s second goal with 21:00 left in the first half, again an unassisted goal, for a 2-0 advantage.

Hillsboro’s lead went to a three-goal advantage when sophomore Arianna Evans kicked the ball past the keeper into the net with 17:38 left in the first half. Miles completed her first-half hat trick with 13:27 on the scoreboard as she won in a one-on-one matchup with the keeper, putting Hillsboro ahead by a 4-0 score, as that score stood when halftime arrived.

In the second half, South Point’s Jasmyn Jones scored the lone goal for the Pointers, leaving the score at 4-1.

Miles scored the final goal of the quarterfinal match with her fourth goal off another one-on-one situation against the visiting keeper, scoring the goal with 6:20 left in regulation for a 5-1 lead.

“We found our offensive stride this year, being able to come away with the lead and win a lot of games this year. We've had a great season,” Miller said. “They have accomplished every goal I have set for them.”

Hillsboro’s win leaves them with an overall record of 11-7-1, as they’ve outscored their tournament opponents 13-1 this postseason (two games).

South Point ends their season at 14-4 overall.

HHS will play again Tuesday, Oct. 22 against the No. 1 seeded Wheelersburg Lady Pirates (14-2) at Valley High School in the Div. IV SE District Semifinals at 6 p.m. Wheelersburg defeated Gallia Academy on Wednesday by a 7-0 score.

BOX SCORE
SPHS        0 1 — 1
HHS        4 1 — 5

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