Keeney, Lady Pirates chop down Oaks

“Burg hits 10 3s in 58-40 win

By Paul Boggs

pboggs@aimmediamidwest.com

WHEELERSBURG — Usually, any game against the tradition-rich Oak Hill Lady Oaks is a “big” one —and not exactly a “trap” matchup.

But on Monday night, ahead of Thursday night’s massive encore against visiting Northwest, the host Wheelersburg Lady Pirates played the Lady Oaks in what amounted to that “trap” tilt for the Orange and Black.

However, no worries for Alaina Keeney and her Lady Pirate company, as Wheelersburg avoided any traps — or speedbumps —on its road to meeting the Lady Mohawks.

That’s because Keeney canned half of the Lady Pirates’ 10 three-point goals, Kaylee Darnell drained four herself, and Wheelersburg rolled to a 58-40 Southern Ohio Conference Division II victory and completed the season sweep of Oak Hill.

“Teams are going to try and do different things against us the second time around, but it was another great effort by our kids where we did a lot of good things again,” said Wheelersburg coach Dusty Spradlin. “Overall, another good win in the SOC II to keep us plugging along here.”

The Lady Oaks’ only lead was at 2-0 just 15 seconds in, as the Lady Pirates reeled off the next 10 points over the next three minutes — and Wheelersburg began to bomb away from three-point land en route to the runaway win.

The Lady Oaks only got to within 10-4 in the opening quarter and 17-12 in the second on a Baylee Howell three-pointer, as it was Wheelersburg unleashing a fury of threes over a span of 16 minutes.

Against Oak Hill’s zone or junk defenses, the Lady Pirates popped 10 total trifectas —five from Keeney towards her game-high 19 points, four from Darnell towards her 16 points, and one from Ellie Kallner which made it 8-2 early in the first quarter.

“That’s where the good ball movement and unselfish play comes in,” said Spradlin. “Alaina (Keeney) really made them pay. Last game, it was Ellie (Kallner) which made West pay. Tonight, Oak Hill tried to guard three of our kids (Keeney, Kallner and Darnell) and put two others in the paint. It’s important for us to be ready for those things, make good decisions and make sure we get good shots every trip.”

With the victory, the Lady Pirates —the defending SOC II champions and current league leaders — raised their stellar record to 14-1, and are now 11-0 in the division.

They also cleared the way for Thursday’s SOC II bout against Northwest, which is 11-1 in the league (16-1 overall) —as Wheelersburg won 44-35 at Northwest on Dec. 12 for the Lady Mohawks’ only loss.

More on that one in a bit.

Typically, a meeting with the Mohawks might serve as a “trap” for the Lady Pirates — in anticipation with a showdown against Oak Hill, one of the most successful girls basketball programs in Ohio under veteran head coach Doug Hale.

The Lady Oaks, in addition to several times taking the SOC II title, are the three-time Division III state runners-up (2004, 2009 and 2011).

But this season, Oak Hill has been up-and-down —and fell to 10-7 and 7-5 in the SOC II.

Wheelersburg completed the season sweep, as the Lady Pirates captured a 49-34 victory at Oak Hill on Dec. 9.

They didn’t make 10 treys that night, but Wheelersburg’s excellent ball movement had the Lady Oaks chasing on Monday —and often times the Lady Pirates’ three-ball attempts were wide open.

Wheelersburg attempted 29 threes, so while their 34-percent from beyond the arc might not sound the greatest, the 30 points off those 10 certainly does.

Keeney connected for the opening three followed by Kallner, as Keeney’s second splash from distance made it 13-4 halfway through the first period.

In the second stanza, Darnell drained one at the five-minute mark to immediately answer Howell hitting hers only 40 seconds earlier, as Oak Hill was never within eight the remainder of the way.

In fact, Keeney’s corner-pocket shot secured a double-digit advantage at 25-14, as the Lady Pirates never allowed their lead to dip into single digits for the final 19 minutes and 40 seconds.

Keeney’s fourth three made it 32-18 for the Lady Pirates’ largest first-half margin with 1:23 remaining, as the five-foot nine-inch sophomore scored 14 of her 19 in the opening half.

But Wheelersburg wasn’t done dialing in from deep.

Keeney, from the top of the key on the opening possession of the third quarter, connected again —before three more from Darnell upped the advantage to the Lady Pirates’ largest margin each time (40-23, 43-23 and 46-25).

Wheelersburg held a commanding 50-32 advantage following the third frame, as both squads scored eight points in the fourth for the 58-40 final score.

Spradlin said the Lady Pirates’ rebounding ability, especially offensively, allowed for extra opportunities behind the three-point line.

Some of the rebounds went long, where Wheelersburg’s guards —Lani Irwin and Lauren Jolly —just gathered up the ball and kicked out to either Keeney, Kallner or Darnell.

Wheelersburg outrebounded Oak Hill 12-5 in the first quarter alone to set the tone, and had some possessions of two, three or even four offensive boards.

“We don’t have a true post player, so we try to rebound with our speed and our athleticism,” said Spradlin. “We get Lani (Irwin) and Lauren (Jolly) gravitating to the ball a lot of times. And when they get it, they are really good about getting it out to open shooters. Alaina made a couple of hers off those. “

Macee Eaton netted nine points for the Lady Pirates on two field goals and 5-of-6 free throws, while Kallner, Jolly, Irwin, Makenna Walker and Lexie Rucker recorded a two-point goal apiece.

Brittani Wolfenbarker, by splitting a pair of fourth-quarter foul shots, rounded out the Wheelersburg scoring.

Caitlyn Brisker, the Lady Oaks’ senior standout, bagged a team-high 18 points on four total field goals and 9-of-11 free throws.

She sank a three-pointer in the second quarter, as all 18 of her markers came over the final three periods.

Spradlin said it was important for the Lady Pirates not to let Brisker get going early.

“She (Brisker) is a tough matchup. She is so physical and so athletic. We try to put different people on her, and when she is knocking down that three, it makes her even harder to guard,” he said. “Doug (Hale) is putting her in positions to where she can get to the basket with some of the ball-screens. I thought we did a pretty good job, for the most part, to holding her to 18 and them to 40.”

Oak Hill, which only played seven players and was without Peyton Miller once again with a broken nose, had eight points on four field goals from Chloe Chambers — and six first-quarter baskets by Olivia Clarkson for six.

Oak Hill hosts Waverly on Thursday, while Wheelersburg welcomes Northwest with first-place in the SOC II at stake.

The Lady Mohawks have won several close encounters on the road —including at Oak Hill, Waverly and Minford.

Northwest will be taller and longer than the Lady Pirates, so first and foremost —Spradlin said —rebounding will be a focus.

“We’re going to have to rebound the ball really well, and not just in stretches like we did tonight, to compensate for their length and athleticism,” he said. “Hopefully, we get some great efforts and everybody hitting on all cylinders offensively on the same night.”

Indeed, Thursday’s affair is a “big” game — as the Lady Pirates avoided the Lady Oaks’ “trap” on Monday night.

“Northwest has the one loss to us, they’ve won a lot of close ballgames, and I expect Thursday to be a close ballgame,” said Spradlin. “Two good teams fighting for first-place in the conference. What else can you ask for?”

* * *

Oak Hill 8 15 9 8 — 40

Wheelersburg 15 19 16 8 — 58

OAK HILL 40 (10-7, 7-5 SOC II)

Baylee Howell 1 0-0 3, Tamron McCain 0 1-2 1, Chloe Chambers 4 0-0 8, Caitlyn Brisker 4 9-11 18, Baylee Howard 0 0-0 0, Brooke Howard 1 2-2 4, Olivia Clarkson 3 0-0 6; TOTALS 13 12-15 40; Three-point goals: 2 (Baylee Howell and Caitlyn Brisker 1 apiece)

WHEELERSBURG 58 (14-1, 11-0 SOC II)

Lauren Jolly 1 0-0 2, Brittani Wolfenbarker 0 1-2 1, Lani Irwin 1 0-0 2, Alaina Keeney 7 0-0 19, Ellie Kallner 2 0-1 5, Kaylee Darnell 5 2-4 16, Makenna Walker 1 0-0 2, Lexie Walker 1 0-0 2, Macee Eaton 2 5-6 9; TOTALS 20 8-13 58; Three-point goals: 10 (Alaina Keeney 5, Kaylee Darnell 4, Ellie Kallner 1)

‘Burg burns Lady Oaks

Wheelersburg wins at Oak Hill 49-34

By Paul Boggs

OAK HILL — Had this been a game of pool, the Lady Pirates put the three-ball in from the corner pocket.

That’s because of visiting Wheelersburg’s eight three-point goals, the Lady Pirates rained in a half-dozen from the court’s corners — and also locked down defensively on the Oak Hill Lady Oaks en route to a key 49-34 Southern Ohio Conference Division II girls basketball victory on Monday night.

Indeed, while Wheelersburg made shots — especially from beyond the three-point arc — the Lady Oaks’ offense only reached double figures for the first quarter, as the Lady Pirates played supreme defense to in turn set up their offense.

But the biggest takeaway, naturally, was Wheelersburg — the defending division champion — winning at Oak Hill, the site of its only league loss last season by a 39-38 final.

Thus, the Lady Pirates exact a measure of revenge — but more importantly remain undefeated on this season so far at 4-0, and 3-0 in the SOC II.

Monday’s win also sets up a colossal early-season encounter of unbeatens on Thursday night, as Wheelersburg will invade Northwest to take on the also-undefeated Lady Mohawks (4-0, 3-0 SOC II).

That was, assuming, that Northwest played — and won — at West on Tuesday, as that Monday matchup was actually postponed a day.

Northwest won at Oak Hill 46-45 in the SOC II opener on Nov. 29 — that being a makeup contest itself in which the Lady Mohawks’ Reagan Lewis landed the game-winning basket with four seconds remaining.

The Lady Oaks, already, are now 2-3 — but perhaps more surprisingly are 2-2 in the league with both defeats coming at home.

Not surprisingly, though, that if Oak Hill and longtime and highly-successful head coach Doug Hale were to lose to anybody on the home court — it would be to the high-quality club Lady Pirates.

“We’re playing against a man (Hale) who has over 500 all-time, almost 600, wins. So he knows what he is doing and he is going to make your team really work for a win. And I don’t know how many times we’ve won here at Oak Hill,” said Wheelersburg coach Dusty Spradlin, in his 18th season leading the Lady Pirates. “Any time you get a road victory in this league, I feel like you’re accomplishing a lot. I’m really proud of everybody’s effort and we were good enough to get a win here tonight.”

In last season’s December meeting at Oak Hill, the score stood tied at 32-32 — before the Lady Oaks went off for seven straight with over four minutes remaining.

Former Wheelersburg standout Abbie Kallner canned back-to-back threes to make it 39-38 with 2:37 remaining, but the Lady Pirates — despite having the ball for the remaining two-and-a-half minutes — couldn’t score.

What a difference a year makes on the exact same floor.

On Monday, after three fourth-quarter threes by the Lady Pirates put them ahead 49-28 with 4:44 to play, the Lady Oaks amounted a pair of baskets by Olivia Clarkson — sandwiched around one by Caitlyn Brisker over the next two-and-a-half minutes.

But over the final 2:15, all Wheelersburg did was dribble, pass, cut and run the three-man weave — and run out the clock as Oak Hill did not foul behind by 15 (49-34).

The Lady Pirates built their lead behind their defense, but also the three-point shot — as Ellie Kallner’s corner triple made it 42-28, before back-to-back corner trifectas by Alaina Keeney and Kallner again gave them their largest advanatage.

Through the first three quarters was more of the same, as Keeney connected on her first to make it 10-6 — before second-stanza threes by Lani Irwin (19-13) and Makenna Walker (27-15) and third-frame treys by Keeney (30-22) and Kallner (33-26) kept the Lady Pirates ahead at a workable distance.

Only Irwin’s off the wing with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the second period and Keeney’s from the top of the key with 6:22 to play in the third were not from the corner.

Spradlin said his Lady Pirates passed the ball well, executed the offensive sets, and found the open shooters who hit from the side pockets.

“We’ve been preaching sharing the ball and we have kids who can play off the dribble. When you make shots, things look a whole lot better obviously,” he said. “I thought our kids did a good job of finding the open man, and it’s that fine line of balance when you pull on that three and when you don’t.”

Kallner and Keeney made three threes apiece, as Kallner added a first-half field goal and 3-of-3 free throws for 14 points.

Keeney also split a pair of first-quarter free throws to give the Lady Pirates the 7-6 lead — breaking the ties of 2-2, 4-4 and 6-6 and putting the Orange and Black in front for good.

Kaylee Darnell, the defensive stalwart who scored the Lady Pirates’ first six points and gave Wheelersburg the lead at 6-4, paced the guests with 15 points on three first-half field goals and 7-of-10 free throws.

“Our older kids, Ellie (Kallner), Kaylee (Darnell) and Alaina (Keeney) and even Lauren (Jolly) and Lani (Irwin), because they’ve been in our system, I can throw something at them and they do a good job of adjusting,” said Spradlin. “Those are kids that we trust.”

In the Lady Pirates you can trust their team defense, which made seven steals and forced a dozen first-half turnovers by the Lady Oaks.

“Turnovers have been our nemisis all year,” said Hale. “We made too many mistakes to beat a team the caliber of Wheelersburg.”

But even more glaring was the job Wheelersburg did on Oak Hill standout senior scorer Caitlyn Brisker, who only had a field goal in each quarter for eight points — one of which was a rebound putback in the second.

“When you can go out and throw three or four or even five different girls and stay in front of Cait Brisker, you’ve done a heck of a job defensively,” said Hale. “At times, I thought we adjusted to that with other ball-handlers and other strategies on offense, but we couldn’t stay consistent.”

Brisker, already a 1,000-point scorer for her decorated Lady Oak career and who went off for 30 against Northwest, was of course the Lady Pirates’ primary defensive focus.

However, aside from Clarkson’s game-high 16 points on six field goals and 4-of-7 free throws, no other Lady Oak — Chloe Chambers, Baylee Howard, Brooke Howard and Peyton Miller — amounted more than a field goal aside from a split of foul shots by Baylee Howard and Chambers.

In addition, Oak Hill did not hit a single three-pointer.

“Holding her (Brisker) to eight was absolutely huge. I don’t know how many nights you’re going to be able to do that. We forced some turnovers, but we have to know where Brisker is at all the time. She is such a phenomenal athlete and it’s just hard for people to match her athleticism,” said Spradlin.

Oak Hill trailed 12-11 following the opening quarter, but its point total kept dwindling with each passing canto — until it endured an epic scoring drought from the 2:07 mark of the third until the 3:45 juncture of the fourth.

Wheelersburg reeled off 14 unanswered over that same stretch to make it 37-28 after three quarters — and finally 49-28 before the Lady Oaks scored the final six points.

“We had cut the lead to four (30-26) in the third quarter, then they hit a two and get a turnover and a three, and within two possessions they are up nine,” said Hale. “We’re not as deep as they are, they got our legs tired and made threes in the fourth quarter. We were helping on the drives, stopping their penetration, and just didn’t recover in time (to defend three-point shooters).”

The Lady Pirates’ primary first-half run was a 15-4 spurt over the final 45 seconds of the first period and the opening 5:50 of the second.

After Darnell intercepted a pass and scored on a layup just 18 seconds into the second quarter, Oak Hill was never within a field goal again.

The Lady Oaks will face another undefeated on Thursday at Waverly, while Wheelersburg will return to the road for the major division affair at Northwest.

“We’re still learning each other and playing together, but we have kids that want to make plays for us,” said Spradlin. “We just have to take better care of the ball and rebound better, and those are two things we have to do well with Northwest’s length and height which we will face on Thursday.”

* * *

Wheelersburg 12 15 10 12 — 49

Oak Hill 11 9 8 6— 34

WHEELERSBURG 49 (4-0, 3-0 SOC II)

Lauren Jolly 0 0-0 0, Brittani Wolfenbarker 0 0-0 0, Lani Irwin 1 0-1 3, Alaina Keeney 3 1-2 10, Ellie Kallner 4 3-3 14, Kaylee Darnell 4 7-10 15, Makenna Walker 2 0-0 5, Macee Eaton 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 15 11-16 49; Three-point goals: 8 (Alaina Keeney and Ellie Kallner 3 apiece, Lani Irwin and Makenna Walker 1 apiece)

OAK HILL 34 (2-3, 2-2 SOC II)

Baylee Howell 0 0-0 0, Tamron McCain 0 0-0 0, Chloe Chambers 1 1-2 3, Caitlyn Brisker 4 0-0 8, Baylee Howard 1 1-2 3, Brooke Howard 1 0-0 2, Peyton Miller 1 0-0 2, Olivia Clarkson 6 4-7 16; TOTALS 14 6-11 34; Three-point goals: none