Mount Vernon News

Scots pick up win over Eagles

SPARTA — It took about three quarters to get going, but the Highland High School girls basketball team finally pulled things together and defeated Gilead Christian, 50-41, in their matchup Thursday night. The game was extremely tight through the first three quarters, but Highland used a burst of intensity to pull away down the stretch.

“We played in spurts tonight. We had our moments when we played well, and other moments when we didn’t,” said Highland head coach Jeff Maibach. “The biggest difference for us tonight was the fact that we didn’t fall apart when we were down. We stayed with it.”

The Scots picked up an early lead, up 6-2 through the first several minutes. The Eagles came right back to tie the score at 6. Katelin Morgan added her sixth point to give Gilead Christian its first lead of the game, 12-10. The teams traded baskets over the final minute, and Highland was down, 14-12, after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Scots picked up their defense, and managed to put a couple of baskets together. Casey Pontius scored four points, all from the free-throw line. The Scots took the lead at 18-16, and worked to keep it through the end of the half. Kristen Anderson made a jumper to put the Scots up 26-23 at the half.

It was the Eagles who came out strong in the second half. Hannah McCormish began the quarter with four points for the Eagles. Leslie Griffith answered back for Highland with four points of her own to take a 30-29 lead. Kendra Votaw then began to do work in the paint for Gilead Christian, as she tallied eight points in the third quarter, including a layup with two seconds left to give Gilead Christian a 35-34 lead entering the final quarter.

After three quarters of struggling, Highland stepped up its defense. The Scots were able to take advantage of key steals to put together consecutive baskets. Griffith got the action started with a three-point play. Chelsie Squires would add four points on what would amount to a 10-0 run for the Scots, who took a 44-35 lead.

The Eagles worked their way back, led by a three-point play by Votaw. Logan Stanley and Pontius each nailed a pair of free throws to stretch the lead to 48-39. Pontius added a jump-shot moments later to seal the game. Votaw would add two more for Gilead Christian, but it would prove to be too little, too late. The Scots walked out with a 50-41 victory.

It was the defense for the Scots that really stepped up, as they had 17 steals as a team. Anderson had seven on the night. The Scots also outrebounded the Eagles, 28-17, on the night.

“We did a good job on defense. Griffith is quick enough that she is able to put a lot of pressure on their guards, and forced them into some turnovers,” said Maibach. “We also did a better job running the offense. That’s where Casey (Pontius) came up big down the stretch for us. We had a lot of people step up.”

Griffith led the scoring for Highland with 11. She also had four steals and a pair of rebounds on the night. Pontius threw in 10 points, and a pair of steals and assists. Anderson added seven rebounds, four points and seven steals on the night.

Votaw led all scores with 19 on the night. She also had seven rebounds. Morgan added 10 points, four rebounds and a pair of steals.

The Scots return to action on Saturday as they play host to Buckeye Valley. That game is set for a 6 p.m. junior varsity start.