Lady Tigers claw rival Panthers

     GREENFIELD – The balance of power in the South Central Ohio League shifted from Fayette County to Highland County Thursday night as the McClain Lady Tigers played their brand of basketball and gained the SCOL victory over the Miami Trace Lady Panthers 54-49 at McClain High School.

     Not only did the Lady Tigers celebrate the SCOL first-pace tying win, but they stood and cheered as McClain senior Kate Hammond scored her 1,000^th point for her four-year varsity career, as she netted the basket in the second quarter. Hammond led all scorers with 18 points, making one 3-pointer, while adding a 1 of 2 performance from the free-throw line. The senior made seven shots from the floor.

     "Kate scored her points within the framework of our offense," McClain head coach Dennis Overstake said. "She was patient and deserves this honor.

     “Since 1975 only four girls have achieved 1,000 points and that speaks for the girls program and what it takes to play varsity basketball and start as a freshman. Only two girls (Hammond and Sarah Hull) have started as freshmen for the entire season and scored 1,000 points by the time they were seniors.”

     Others to score 1,000 besides Hammond and Hull are Audra (Cook) Bolender and Elizabeth (Liz) Cockerill.

     But to get to her 1,000^th point Hammond netted seven points in the opening quarter as MHS led 14-8, as the Lady Tigers have won three of the past four meetings with Miami Trace. This meeting was played to a packed house, with energized student sections and even the MHS cheerleaders rallied on the Lady Tigers in an rare appearance at a girls game.

     “The atmosphere here tonight was great,” Overstake said. “It should be like this every ballgame.”

     The SCOL fight, between the Lady Tigers and Panthers, came down to the final eight minutes. Miami Trace slowly clawed away at the Lady Tigers’ lead in the fourth as they made seven straight points to cut the MHS advantage to 39-37 with 5:04 on the clock.

     MHS senior Chrissy Cobb sparked the lead back to five with a 3-pointer, as Hammond connected with a jumper as two defenders were in her face.

     Miami Trace’s Jenna Cobb pulled down a trey, but MHS cashed in with points from Megan Saylor, Chrissy Cobb and Jenna Perie to go ahead by eight points (49-41) with 2:40 left in regulation.

     MT then scored six straight, but it was Chrissy Cobb battling for the Lady Tigers with two converted free throws as the scoreboard read 1:02 in the fourth quarter.

     After the Lady Tigers gained possession with a forced jump ball, Saylor, who led MHS with eight rebounds, went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line, as the game ended with Buck making two of her final four chances at the line to seal the win.

     “Both teams played hard as we are playing for the league championship,” Overstake said. “We could have been better from the free-throw line, but we played how we needed to play to win the game.”

     The first points in the opening quarter were scored by the Lady Panthers when Andrea Strahler knocked down a bucket, but the points were equaled with a basket by senior Megan Saylor to tie the game.

     Strahler was there again for MT, but this time Hammond was the one who tied the game with a jumper. After the Lady Panthers were charged with a travel, Hammond sank a 3-pointer at the 3:36 mark of the quarter. After Strahler scored her sixth point of the first quarter, MHS senior Shelby Buck drained a 3-ball followed with Chrissy Cobb sinking a jumper to end the first quarter scoring.

     The second quarter will be remembered in McClain history as the quarter Hammond added her name to Lady Tiger lore by netting her 1,000^th point, and the game came to a stop with 5:48 remaining in the second, as the senior was presented with the game ball by MHS head coach Dennis Overstake.

     Before the game was briefly paused, McClain senior Cortney Hyer put the Lady Tigers ahead 19-11 with her first 3-pointer of the game.

     MT battled to make the score 21-17 with four straight points by Jenna Cobb. Jenna Cobb finished with a team-high 15 points.

     Hammond and Miami Trace’s Kasey Bryant exchanged baskets as the second quarter closed with the Lady Tigers leading 23-19.

     Saylor put the game into her hands in the opening stages of the second half with four points and a taken charge within the first three minutes of the third.

     Perie and Hammond put MHS up 31-23 with back-to-back baskets and Hyer, who had four assists, extended the Lady Tigers advantage to nine points (34-25) with her second 3-pointer of the rivalry contest. Perie ended wit seven rebounds and four assists in the game.

     Heidi Reiterman put MT within six points of MHS with a 3-pointer, but Hyer was there to answer with a jump shot. Chrissy Cobb nailed a jumper with two seconds left in the third to put MHS up 39-30, regaining the nine-point lead. Chrissy Cobb finished with 10 points.

     MHS shot 20 of 38 from the field for 53 percent, as the Lady Panthers finished 20 of 48 for 42 percent. MHS led in rebounding 24 (six offensive) to 17 (five offensive).

     Both teams will meet again next Thursday at Miami Trace High School.             On Friday, Jan. 29 the Lady Tigers will travel to face the London Lady Red Raiders in SCOL play       

     In JV play Thursday MHS defeated Miami Trace 39-38.

BOX SCORE

SCORE BY QUARTERS

MTHS – 8 11 11 19 – 49

MHS – 14 9 16 15 – 54

INDIVIDUAL STATS
MHS (54)

C.Cobb 2 (1) 3-4 10, M.Saylor 4 1-3 9, C.Hyer 0 (3) 9, K.Hammond 7 (1) 1-2 18, S.Buck 0 (1) 2-4 5, J.Perie 1 1-2 3. TOTALS: 14 (6) 8-15 54.

MTHS (49)

Lawson 1 2-2 4, Hull 2 (1) 7, McKay 0 (1) 3, Cobb 4 (2) 1-2 15, Strahler 5 10, Reisinger 3 2-2 8. TOTALS: 16 (4) 5-6 49.