The Lady Pirates Hand Waverly Their First Conference Loss
- Trent Thompson
- Jan 12
- 2 min read
WAVERLY - The Wheelersburg Lady Pirates stormed into Waverly High School and came away with a huge a 45-39 win.
Monday Night was more than just another conference game in the SOC III; it was a battle for a share of the top spot. Wheelersburg (9-4, 3-1 SOC III) came into the contest with one conference loss as the Waverly Lady Tigers (11-3, 4-0 SOC III) were bolstering an undefeated conference record.
The Lady Tigers started this game with aggressive defense which forced turnovers that led to fast break points. Paige O'Bryant helped Waverly jump out to an early lead over Wheelersburg as she scored five points while also recording five rebounds in the first quarter. The Lady Pirates were able to keep it close as they were getting contributions from Myles Bailey and Ava Artrip.
At the start of the second quarter, the Lady Tigers went on an 8-0 run with three-point field goals by Taryn Gillot and Hadley Ramsey. But, shortly after the run Ramsey would go down with a game-ending injury that seemingly turned the tide. Artrip and Lainey Skeenes both netted a pair of three-pointers which helped Wheelersburg make a comeback and take a 25-21 lead into halftime.
In the second half, both teams came out of the locker rooms with defensive mindsets as the turnovers and fouls began to pile up. With only three shots made in the third quarter, the Lady Pirates were able to extend their lead to 33-28 heading into the final quarter.
To begin the fourth quarter, Jaylinn Prather drained two identical jumpers from the right elbow to extend Wheelersburg's lead. But Waverly's Calli Knight took matters into her own hands as she began scoring in the paint. This was accompanied by a three-pointer from Sadie Royster which cut the lead down to a two-point ball game.
As time was winding down, Waverly had numerous opportunities to tie the game or even take the lead. But the Lady Tigers struggled from the charity stripe late as they would only sink one of their final eight free throw attempts. This seemingly helped the Lady Pirates come away with a victory as Artrip and Prather would sink their free throws late in the contest. Wheelersburg would finish the game with a 45-39 win over Waverly and share a spot at the top of the conference.
Waverly was led by Paige O'Bryant as she would put up 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks. O'Bryant would ultimately foul out late in the contest to finish her night.
Wheelersburg's Ava Artrip led the Lady Pirates with 17 points while Lainey Skeenes netted 9, and Peyton May pulled down 12 rebounds.
The Lady Tigers are now set to take on the South Webster Lady Jeeps on Thursday while the Lady Pirates prepare for a matchup with the Valley Lady Indians.