Dec 20, 2024
FROM THE PAINT — Big Red’s Phynyx Fleming puts up a layup attempt from the paint after grabbing a rebound out of a group of players during Thursday’s game against John Marshall inside the Crimson Center. – Andrew Grimm
STEUBENVILLE — Don’t look now, but things are starting to come together for the Big Red girls basketball team.
After a bit of a challenging start for the youthful group, coach Angie Forte’s group has surged above the .500 mark. They did so by improving their record to 4-3 with a third-straight victory Thursday night, a 63-51 triumph over visiting John Marshall inside the Crimson Center.
“The girls are hungry, they want to win,” Forte said. “They know a lot of people look at them as underdogs because of our numbers, but they’re starting to gel and put things together. They’re coming together and starting to put it together and I think it showed.”
It was a solid effort from start to finish.
“Thirty two minutes, that’s my request from the girls every day,” Forte said, pointing to a sign on the locker room wall. “They slap it on the way out the door before the game … we ask them to put it together eight minutes as a time for a full 32 minute game, and that’s what they did.
“They played some good defense, they communicated well, they made the adjustments we needed to make. I’m just super proud of the effort.”
Big Red pulled ahead in the second quarter were in control from there, leading by as many as 16 points early in the fourth quarter.
When the Monarchs (4-3) did try to rally, cutting Steubenville’s lead to eight with a little over two minutes to go, Big Red was able to thwart the comeback bid and pull back away.
“When things started to get a little rocky, I heard them communicating and encouraging each other,” Forte said. “They were staying together and that’s what it takes for us to get some wins.”
For JM, how the deficit occurred was equally as damaging as the deficit itself.
“There was way too much of us throwing them the ball early on,” JM head coach Brock Melko said. “I thought that’s how we dug ourselves the hole. They were in that 2-3 and gambling and we were making stupid passes and just giving them the ball. Credit to them, they were jumping them. They had 33 at halftime, it felt like 30 of them were just off steals and layups.
“I couldn’t even tell if we were playing good or bad defense because we were just throwing them the ball and letting them shoot layups. We got into a hole and it was too much to overcome for us.”
Nylah McShan, the Big Red standout junior post, has been an integral part of the winning streak and played a key role again, this time netting a game-high 26 points. She scored six-straight to end the first quarter, turning an 11-9 lead into a 17-9 advantage.
“It was a beautiful night for Nylah,” Forte said. “Not just points, but rebounds and assists. The coaching staff challenged her to get more rebounds and step up on the defensive end, and she responded.”
The Monarchs did rally with an 8-0 run to take the lead early in the second quarter, but Bailee Beall (11 points) netted one of her three triples for Big Red and Steubenville pulled back ahead for good, leading 33-27 at the break.
Big Red started the third quarter on a 9-2 run and the lead was not in the single digits again until less than half the fourth quarter remained.
The Monarchs’ Rilee Sterm netted 23 points and hit three triples before fouling out late in the game.
UP NEXT
John Marshall: Is off for Christmas then faces Mussleman on New Year’s Eve.
Big Red: Has one more game before the holidays, a big one hosting Indian Creek on Monday.
Big Red 63, John Marshall 51
JM 16-11-9-15 – 51
BR 20-13-16-14 – 63
JOHN MARSHALL (4-3): Reese 3 5-5 11; White 2 2-2 8; Sterm 9 2-3 23; Inclan 0 0-0 0; Miller 2 0-2 4; Finley 0 0-0 0; Ebert 2 1-2 5. TOTALS: 18, 8-14; 51
BIG RED (4-3): Saccoccia 3 0-0 7; Scurry 2 1-2 5; Fleming 5 0-0 10; McShan 11 4-5 26; Beall 3 2-4 11; Vein 2 0-0 4; Bickerstaff 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 26, 7-11; 63
3-POINT GOALS: John Marshall 7 (Sterm 3, White 2, Reese 2); Big Red 4 (Beall 3, Saccoccia)
Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Anna DeBeer recorded 14 kills before leaving with a right ankle injury, Payton Peterson …
The NCAA transfer portal has become an active spot for West Virginia University football players. Since the …
The Huskies hold off the Wildcats at home, 49-44 CADIZ — The Harrison Central girls basketball team fended off …
WEIRTON — everything changed in a Weirton minute and then changed back again. The Weir girls’ basketball team …
Copyright © The Herald Star | https://www.heraldstaronline.com | 401 Herald Square , Steubenville, OH 43952 | 740-283-4711
