By Drew Terhall

Dailyadvocate.com

DARKE COUNTY — Here are the scores and stats from the high school girls basketball games from Jan. 19 – 21.

Mississinawa Valley 62 (12-4, 7-1) vs Ansonia 35 (6-9, 3-5)

The Lady Blackhakws took home the win in the rivalry game in the Route 47 Shootout. Mississinawa Valley head coach Michael Paige said this one was like the last time these two teams played on Dec. 23. It was close for three quarters before Mississinawa Valley pulled away.

“It’s a rivalry game. The last time we played them, the game was just like this. It was a close game in the fourth quarter and we managed to pull away,” Paige said. “It was a rough game, it was an ugly game. The fact we can still learn to win and we’re still winning ugly games is just a bonus for us. A way for us to continue to grow.”

The Lady Blackhawks led 22-14 at halftime as both teams struggled offensively. The Lady Tigers couldn’t string together enough good possessions to make it a closer game. They struggled with turnovers that led to some easy points for Mississinawa Valley.

Ansonia was able to phase out junior Taylee Woodbury for Mississinawa Valley in the first half. Ansonia head coach Connor Custenborder said he was proud of the team’s efforts defensively in the box and one defense after they just started practicing it earlier in the week.

“We put a box and one on her. I thought the girls picked it up very well. Put it in practice this week. They did a good picking that up and executing that in the first half,” Custenborder said.

In the third quarter, both teams made their runs but ended with Mississinawa Valley still leading by almost the same margin as they did at halftime.

It was a different story in the fourth quarter. Mississinawa Valley outscored Ansonia 26-8 in the final quarter. A few threes from junior Syenna Purdin started to get the Lady Blackhakws offense some momentum.

From there, Woodbury started to get into a groove and made four threes in the final quarter. She scored 19 points in the second half.

Custenborder said when they were still down late in the game, he switched to a full court press from the half court press. When Ansonia couldn’t transition into their half-court defense in time, Mississinawa Valley took advantage and started to roll offensively.

Woodbury led all scorers with 21 points and Purdin finished with 12 points. For Ansonia, senior Bailey Schmit led with 11 points and freshman London Reichert had eight points.

Paige said the team played better defensively this time against Ansonia and was happy to see them find a way to win after they struggled offensively for most of the game.

After a trip to Union City, the Lady Blackhawks will host Bradford on Jan. 25 at 7:15 p.m. Paige said the remaining schedule will feature teams playing different styles, something that will help them prepare for the tournament.

“All of those teams are a little bit different in what they do. It allows up to switch it up and be able to play different teams and different styles of play. That will get us ready for the tournament as well,” Paige said.

Ansonia will go to Preble Shawnee on Jan. 25 for a 7:15 p.m. tip off. They will then host Botkins on Jan. 27 at noon.

A full game recap can be found on our website, dailyadvocate.com.

Around the county:

Arcanum 49 (10-6, 6-2) vs Carroll 80 (11-4, 4-2)

The Lady Trojans couldn’t keep pace with the Lady Patriots after being down 14-12 after the first quarter. Sophomore Caroline Long led the team with 16 points. Junior Alexis Gibbons had 12 points and senior Rylee Leeper had 10 points. After a road match at Middletown Madison, the team will play a road WOAC game at Twin Valley South on Jan. 25 at 7:15 p.m.

Franklin Monroe 44 (7-8, 4-4) at Dunbar 22 (3-11, 0-7)

The Lady Jets get the win on the road on Jan. 20. Junior Presley Cox led the team with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Sophomore Caydance Nichols had seven points. The team totaled 58 rebounds. After hosting Catholic Central, they will head to Tri-Village on Jan. 25 for a 6 p.m. tip off and then go to Fort Recovery on Jan. 27 at 10 a.m.

Greenville 13 (5-11, 2-10) at Troy 33 (5-11, 5-8)

The Lady Wave fall in a road conference match to Troy. The team will look to shrug off the loss as they host Xenia on Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. They will then have another MVL road game as they go to Stebbins on Jan. 27 for a 11:45 a.m. tip off.

Versailles 49 (9-6, 4-2) vs Archbishop Alter 59 (14-2, 6-0)

The Lady Tigers fall to the third ranked team in their section on Jan. 20. The Lady Tigers were only down 27-25 at halftime and down 40-36 after the third quarter. Junior Taylor Wagner and sophomore Katey Litten both had 14 points. Senior Jenna Dirksen had 10 points. After a game against Tippecanoe, Versailles will host St. John’s on Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. They will then go to Russia on Jan. 27 for a 5:30 p.m. tip off.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]