HOWARD — Anytime East Knox High School and Danville High School get together for an athletic game, it promises to be exciting. On Saturday, both schools’ girls basketball teams got their chance to participate in one of the county’s most intense rivalries. Fans were not disappointed, with lead changes, comebacks and clutch shooting. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Danville escaped with a 41-36 victory.
“This is a big win,” said Danville head coach Scott Ewing. “We are 3-2 now [in the Mid-Buckeye Conference] and I think that this win puts us right back in the race. We are really happy with where we are.”
The first half belonged to the Blue Devils. East Knox scored the first four points of the game behind Brittany Dawson’s quick start, but it didn’t take Danville long to hit its stride. The Blue Devils ended the first quarter with a 10-6 lead, and added to it in the second quarter.
Kaleigh Conner started out the second quarter with a 3-point shot that got Danville rolling. Dawson got the three points back with a layup and foul that turned into a three-point play, but Conner answered back with her second 3-point shot.
From there, the Blue Devils began to dominate the action and built a 24-12 lead at halftime.
In the second half, East Knox made a statement, turning what could have been a blowout loss into a tightly contested game. Behind an eight-point third quarter from guard Megan Morris, East Knox went on a 12-3 run and pulled back into the contest. Down just three points by the end of the quarter, 27-24, the Bulldogs didn’t quit and proved they were there to play.
“Our defense slowed them down, but we struggled offensively in the first half,” said East Knox head coach Daryl Uhde. “Our girls don’t give up. We play hard and compete. If you give the best you can when you walk off the court you should be somewhat satisfied.”
“East Knox came out ready to play,” said Ewing “They have some real talent on that team. It was a good game for us, we had to make some decisions on the run.”
East Knox scored the first four points of the fourth quarter and took a 28-27 lead, but Danville rattled off the next nine points to retake the advantage. In perhaps the key play of the game, Danville’s Hannah Matheny was sent to the free-throw line with just over a minute to play, with a 36-32 lead. Matheny hit her first free throw, but missed the second. That’s when post player Aubrey Hazen grabbed the offensive rebound and laid in the basket to give Danville a 39-32 lead and seal the victory.
“Aubrey is getting better and better,” said Ewing. “She is playing hard and responding very well.”
“This win builds our confidence,” Hazen said. “They are a big rival, it showed a lot about this team. We know we can win. East Knox was pumped, and we still came away with the win.”
Danville was led by Tracy Payne, who scored 13 points, while Hazen added 10 points and Matheny scored seven. The Bulldogs leading scorer was Megan Morris with 10 points; Dawson chipped in nine points.
In junior varsity play, East Knox defeated Danville, 33-19. Hayley Gray led East Knox with eight points, and Desiree Cottrell and Maggie Douglas added seven points apiece. Danville was led by Katlyn Walls, who scored 13 points.
