2nd-half surge leads Lady Tigers to victory
GREENFIELD — Following a first half where the McClain Lady Tigers and the Miami Trace Lady Panthers each scored fewer than 20 points, the second half was a different story as the host Lady Tigers kept the Lady Panthers in their rearview mirror to gain another South Central Ohio League victory.
The Lady Tigers used a strong second half to gain a 53-28 win, moving to 6-1 in the SCOL and 12-2 overall.
In the first half, McClain scored just 19 points, but their defense kept them in the lead as they allowed just 12 points in the first 16 minutes of play. MT did lead, 9-6 after the first quarter.
Then came the second half where the Lady Tigers nearly equaled their first-half scoring in the third quarter, outscoring the Lady Panthers, 17-12, beginning with an 8-1 run in the first two minutes of the third.
"I thought we showed a lot of mental toughness, especially for struggling in the first half," MHS head coach Jarrod Haines said. "We made adjustments at halftime, really got after it and started making some shots.
"Our shots weren't falling in the first half, but we got some girls going, and it was a lot better."
The scoring run that moved the Lady Tigers ahead 27-13 began with Sarah Thompson stealing the ball at mid-court and taking the ball to the hoop on a fast break. That was followed by a 3-pointer by Taylor Polley, then after a free throw by the visitors, Shania Massie answered with a free throw of her own.
Polley ended the game with 13 points, while Massie led all scorers with 22 points, including three 3-pointers in the win.
"Shania really stepped up and was a huge leader for us (Wednesday)," Haines said. "She made some nice outside shots and got to the free-throw line, and that's when she's really good."
Thompson, who ended the game with nine points, finished the two-minute offensive run of the Lady Tigers with a put-back bucket with 6:08 on the clock to move MHS ahead by 14 points.
MT managed to finish the quarter on a 6-1 run following the 3-pointer by Massie to make it a 12-point Lady Tigers lead entering the fourth.
MHS capped of the fourth and final frame of the game with an 11-0 run to begin the quarter, starting with a 3-pointer from Polley, followed by a layup on a fast break by Massie, then a 3-pointer by the point guard. Thompson finished the run with a 3-pointer of her own at the 5:14 mark for a 47-24 Lady Tigers advantage.
As the game came to a close, Lexie Barton wrapped up the Lady Tigers' scoring with points in the paint. Also in the fourth, Beth Montgomery added two points, concluding the game with five points.
"Lexie Barton and Sarah Thompson did an excellent job on one of their better scorers, and Taylor was really good off the ball. Sarah was very consistent, and we had very good bench play because we had some girls get into foul trouble.
"The second half, Malea (Montavon) and Beth really owned the boards. It was a good win, we'll take it. The girls showed a lot of poise and mental toughness."
MT was led by Samantha Rittenour with 10 points, followed by Brooke Baldwin with seven points.
In JV play, McClain defeated MT, 25-22. MHS was led in scoring by Hunter Scott with nine points.