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Belpre girls claim second straight sectional championship

Photo by Steve Hemmelgarn Belpre’s Kyna Waderker and Southern’s Faith Teaford look to collect a rebound during the Golden Eagles’ 42-34 win over the Tornadoes Saturday.

POMEROY, Ohio — It wasn’t a technical masterpiece, but Belpre downed Southern 42-34 to capture a second straight Division IV girls basketball sectional tournament championship Saturday afternoon at Meigs High School.

There were just 19 baskets total, 13 by the winning Golden Eagles and six by Southern, which sank 20 of 32 foul shots to Belpre’s 16-of-27 in the physical, low-scoring game.

Still with the victory, Belpre, now 16-7, will face either Southwestern or Western in a district-semifinal matchup at 1:45 p.m. next Saturday at Jackson High School, while the Tornadoes finished their season with a 10-11 mark.

Belpre’s Cheyenne Barker tallied a game-high 16 points, but only scored in two quarters — one was the first as the Golden Eagles got off to a slow start offensively.

The only points put up in the initial five minutes of play were two Southern free throw before Trinidy King was fouled after a steal and converted a free throw for Belpre at the 2:52 mark.

The Tornadoes’ Jaiden Roberts sank a trey, though, for a 5-1 lead at 2:26 and Kyna Waderker connected for Belpre hoop No. 1 on a rebound bucket at 2:08.

But Southern proceded to build a 12-5 advantage with 28.3 seconds left in the opening period, prior to Kaitlin Richards’ basket for Belpre at 11 seconds to cut the Tornadoes’ lead to 12-7 heading to the second stanza.

The Golden Eagles notched the first two baskets in the second to close to 12-11 and Sydney Spencer’s score on a break at 4:10 gave Belpre a lead it would never lose at 14-13. In fact, seven of the next nine points belonged to Belpre on Barker’s steal for a layup, two free throws and getting the ball ahead to Richards for a hoop followed by an Alexandria Williams foul shot at 1:11 to forge a 21-15 gap for the Golden Eagles.

But a three-point play by Southern and then a buzzer-beater trey that Baylee Wolf banked in from 35 feet out enabled the Tornadoes to trim Belpre’s lead to just 23-21 at halftime.

The third quarter saw Belpre lead by no more than four until 1:52 on a Barker assist to Williams for a basket to nudge the difference to 30-25. A Southern foul shot at 1:42 made it a 30-26 contest with only one period to play.

The last eight minutes saw Belpre pull the ball out several times to run some time off the clock with the Golden Eagles in foul trouble. However after Southern got within 30-28 early, Waderker made a free throw at 4:29, but missed a second foul shot and King rebounded it in for a five-point spread at 33-28, then added a free throw with 3:02 left for a six-point lead at 34-28.

And finally after Southern sliced its deficit to a meager four, 34-30, with 2:19 to play, it was Barker to the rescue with a drive down the lane for a bucket at 1:38, then sinking a pair of free throws at 31.4 seconds, 26.8 and 15.9 to stave off any potential last-gap Tornado comeback attempt.

After Barker, Waderker and King each scored eight points, while for Southern, Faith Teaford led with 12 points and with five each were Roberts, Sierra Cleland and Macie Michael.

“They had a box-and-one on Cheyenne in the first quarter,” explained Belpre head coach Chris Murray. “If they do that, you just have to execute your offense and make some shots. Honestly, I really wasn’t too worried. From the first quarter on, I figured it was just going to take some time. Our kids stepped up and helped Cheyenne out, and we played some good defense. I thought Trinidy and Cheyenne led us today.

“We got to the fourth quarter and we’re up like four, and it was more or less like if they’re going to sit in a zone (defense), then we’ve got good enough guards. So let’s just hold the ball and make them go man and beat us that way if they can.”

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