BLACKSVILLE — You can’t win if you don’t score and the Clay-Battelle girls simply did not score enough in a 55-30 loss to Shenandoah (Oh.) in an OVAC consolation match Thursday inside Statler Wilson Gymnasium.
Clay-Batteller (6-12) played a tight first half, but the Cee-Bees were shut out in a 12-0 third quarter that allowed Shenandoah (13-7) to pull away.
The Zeps started out in a full-court press defensively, but as Clay-Battelle scored baskets in transition, they eventually fell back into a half-court defense focused on ball pressure and limiting penetration.
“For the first quarter and a half, they had a little bit of a press on us and we do okay against the press,” CB coach David Joyce explained. “We don’t have the best outside shooters, so our offense stalls out when someone plays us tight. Normally, we play good offense against a man-to-man, but they were quick girls.”
Clay-Battelle only trailed 17-14 after the first quarter and it was a five-point game approaching the break until Shenandoah’s Mya Leach scored two quick baskets to push the halftime lead to 31-22.
Then in the third quarter, it was all Zeps. CB was held scoreless while their visitors poured in 12 points to make it a 43-22 advantage.
“When they went to a half-court defense and took off the press, it shut us down,” Joyce said. “They switched so quick. I didn’t see any weak spots in that group of five, no matter which ones they had out there.”
All told, from Leach’s two baskets to end the first half to Clay-Battelle’s first points in the fourth quarter, free throws by Reagan Darling, the Zeps went on an 18-0 scoring run.
Leach led all scorers with a game-high 20 points while teammate Charli Wickham supplied 12.
Raylee Hennen led the Cee-Bees with 13 points with support from Laikyn Dalton (seven) and Darling (six).
It was the second OVAC consolation game the Cee-Bees played this week, also traveling to St. Clairsville, Ohio on Tuesday. Joyce said he likes getting the opportunity to play teams they otherwise wouldn’t.
“We’re the smallest 2A school and we had to play a pretty powerful 3A tonight and we had to play a 4A (St. Clairsville) on Tuesday so we’re playing up two and a half divisions,” Joyce said. “I like the fact that we played two different teams. We never see these people, and so there is that part of it. It’s fun and you’ll look back at your regular season and say ‘so what, we lost to a better team.’”
The Cee-Bees will begin a stretch of three consecutive home games to close the season next Friday when they host the Hundred Hornets.
Shenandoah 55, Clay-Battelle 30
Shen 17 14 12 12 — 55
CB 14 8 0 8 — 30
Shenandoah — Leach 9 1-1 20; Brown 2 0-0 4; Irvin 3 0-0 6; May 1 5-6 7; Wickham 4 4-7 12; House 1 2-2 4; Weckbacher 1 2-2 4.
Clay-Battelle — Hennen 4 4-6 13; Darling 2 2-2 6; Dalton 3 0-2 7; Statler 1 0-0 2; Moore 1 0-0 2.
3 Pt. Goals — Shenandoah 1 (Leach). Clay-Battelle 2 (Hennen 1, Dalton 1).
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