Linsly Will Play For the 3A Title
WHEELING -- Linsly celebrated Senior Night in grand fashion Monday night as it pulled away from Martins Ferry in a Wheeling Hospital OVAC Girls Basketball Class 3A semifinal inside a loud Stifel Field House.
The top-seeded Cadets (16-3) withstood a valiant attempt to slow the tempo from the No. 4 Purple Riders in the first quarter, using a 21-3 scoring advantage in the second eight minutes en route to a 55-29 victory.
"We kind of knew they wanted to slow pace down some because they've done that in a couple of games we've seen this season," Linsly head coach Rebecca Upton said. "We were semi-prepared for it. They did what they had to do to put themselves in a good place."
She said after the Purple Riders' Lindsee Sidon knocked down back-to-back bonus goals from each corner, it forced the Cadets to switch up their defense.
"My girls don't like to play man-to-man defense, but they play it so good," Upton noted. "We keep telling them that they are so good at it, so own it."
The switch forced Martins Ferry (11-8) into nine unforced turnovers, with five of those coming in the decisive second quarter.
"We had a good start, but in the second quarter we got wide-eyed," Martins Ferry head coach Dave Reasbeck said. "It was a big crowd. Big student section … big game, and we don't have many girls on this team that have played in big games. We kind of got that 'deer-in-the-headlight' moment, but they (Linsly) are good. What are you going to do?
"When we play good teams, we have trouble scoring," Reasbeck said. "We can score against most teams, but the good one's we have trouble for some reason. If you can't score, it's tough to compete with a team like that."
Senior Ally Hicks hit a pair of triples in the second quarter, but it was freshman Zaniah Zellous who turned the tide.
Zellous netted six of her team-high 13 points and grabbed eight of her game-best 10 rebounds in the quarter. She also charted four blocks.
"She did have a big quarter for us," Upton raved about the 6-1 Zellous. "She is just so super-talented. There's a lot to say about her."
Linsly had four of its 10 bonus goals in the second quarter.
"We've got a lot of girls that can shoot and like to shoot it," Upton said. "Tonight they were making them, so that was good, as well."
Hicks finished with 10 points and classmate Haley Heitz had six on a pair of treys.
"Those three seniors are really, really special," Upton said of Carleigh Grimm, Heitz and Hicks. "They mean so much to this program."
Grimm left in the latter stages of the second quarter favoring a foot injury, but Upton said she will be ready for Saturday's championship game at Harrison Central High School against No. 2 Fort Frye, which ousted third-seeded Bellaire, 64-23, Monday night in Beverly.
"There was no need for her to continue playing," the coach said. Grimm re-entered the game in the fourth quarter for a token appearance before leaving the floor for good to a standing ovation. She had four points and five rebounds.
Although the outcome halted the Purple Riders' five-game winning streak, Reasbeck was happy with the way the second half played out.
"I was pleased with the way we played in the second half. We played even with them until I subbed," he stressed. "Lindsey Best played really well. She doesn't get much press as a freshman, but she is as good a freshman as I've seen this season. She played well, but we've got to help her and we weren't able to do that tonight."
The Purple Riders were playing without the services of starter Danielle Lude, but Reasbeck wouldn't use that as an excuse.
"She would've really helped us. We really haven't had her (healthy) all season, but you've got to play who you have."
Freshman Hayden Cook added 10 points and seven rebounds for Linsly.
Best had a game-high 14 points, which included a 9-for-11 effort from the foul line. Maria Clark landed nine rebounds.