DANVILLE — Danville coach Shane Henry has preached to his three seniors all year that this is their team and the Devils would be as successful as they could make them.
Thursday, those seniors stepped up in a big way, leading the Blue Devils to a 54-44 Mid-Buckeye Conference victory over visiting Fredericktown.
“The kids really stepped up tonight,” said Henry. “These seniors are our team leaders and they all three stepped up, talked and moved their feet defensively. That made a big difference.”
Kate Walls, especially, took the coach’s words to heart in the second half, sparking a run by the Devils (3-6 overall, 2-4 MBC) that turned a game that was tied at halftime into a 16-point Danville lead early in the fourth.
The Danville senior scored seven straight points in a 40-second span in the third quarter that turned the Freddies on their ears.
The Freddies (6-4, 2-4) were able to get the score back within one (28-27) in the third quarter, but Walls fed freshman Bri Staats on two straight buckets, then drained a three-pointer that put a dagger in the hearts of the Freddie fans.
“We stuck with the game plan, the same style of defense. We just lost Staats and Walls numerous times,” said Fredericktown coach Wes Elifritz. “You lose shooters like that and they will make you pay.”