photo by: Andrew Grimm

Steubenville’s Nylah McShan works to the paint against Martins Ferry’s Maddie Lucas Monday during Big Red’s home opener.

STEUBENVILLE — Martins Ferry girls basketball coach Dave Reasbeck knew his team was facing a big test right off the hop opening up at Big Red. In fact, he called it the toughest game his team would face prior to the regional tournament which is nearly four months away.

For three quarters, his Purple Riders were up for the challenge. In the fourth quarter, though, Big Red showed exactly why Reasbeck said what he did.

Big Red went on a 14-2 fourth quarter run to pull away from the Purple Riders and improved to 2-0 on the young season, storming away with a 59-44 victory in their home opener inside the Crimson Center.

“I just told the team they did a great job of weathering the storm,” Big Red head coach Angie Forte said.

“There are going to be waves up and down in every game and we did a great job of not getting too high and not getting too low, we stayed even and composed. We did not get flustered and pushed back. I’m very, very proud of them. There were times we had two freshmen on the floor, we started two sophomore and only have two seniors, and they showed a lot of maturity to stick with it. That’s what we’re going to need down the line.”

Reigning East District player of the year Nylah McShan overcame some early foul trouble to net a game-high 20 points, while adding six rebounds, three steals, an assist and a block in leading the way. Sophomore Lucy Saccoccia netted 14 points, five-straight coming on the big fourth quarter run, to go with four assists, two steals and two rebounds.

Freshman Mikah Taylor knocked down a pair of 3s on her way to eight points while racking up a game-high five steals to go with three assists. Phynyx Fleming netted seven points and pulled down six boards and freshman Brynn Bowers came off the bench and added seven points. Bailee Beall, Big Red’s other senior, hit a 3 and finished with a game-high seven assists.

Big Red forced Ferry into 17 turnovers in coming away with 13 steals.

“It’s a super-fast bunch,” Forte said. “We tell them at times to go, get a deflection and get after it and they did a good job of putting pressure on the ball and rotating. That was the big key — we’re not just watching the action up front, we’re rotating down the back line and we have a bunch of kids who read the plays very well.”

After some early back and forth, Big Red opened up a 17-9 lead late in the first quarter, but Ferry pushed back with back-to-back 3s from Savanna Koller (11 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals) and Maddie Lucas (nine points, three rebounds, three steals, two assists) to pull within 17-15 at the end of the first quarter.

Again, in the second quarter, Big Red opened up a nice lead, this time 27-19, but again the Riders caught fire late in the quarter to get back in it, closing the first half with a 6-0 run to make it a two-point game at the break, 27-25.

Ferry took a 32-30 lead early in the first quarter, but standout junior Giana Chirpas (17 points, five rebounds) picked up her fourth foul and the Riders went into a slower-pace, holding the ball on the perimeter and fighting to stay within striking distance. Big Red, though, eventually turned up the pressure and netted the final seven points of the third quarter to lead 39-34 going to the fourth.

After a triple from Koller pulled Ferry back within two early in the fourth, Beall hit a trey the other way to start the game-sealing Big Red run.

Saccoccia energized the run when she made a bucket, got a quick steal, and scored again while also drawing a foul, making the free throw to push the lead to double digits, and it never dropped back below.

“They got us in the fourth quarter,” Reasbeck said. “I told our girls this would be our toughest challenge until the regionals if we make it there. They’re a very good team; their strengths are our strengths — their physical, athletic and they play hard. We knew this was going to be a battle and it was a battle until probably about the last four minutes when it got away from us.

“We’re not discouraged; we want challenges like this to make us better for the end of the year. After playing them, I stick by saying that this would be our biggest challenge until the regionals if we make it.”

UP NEXT

Martins Ferry: Hosts St. Clairsville in its home opener on Dec. 2.

Big Red: Is back at home after a Thanksgiving break to host Linsly on Dec. 4.