TO THE HOOP — Indian Creek senior Gabby Taylor takes the ball to the basket during Thursday’s tournament game against Meadowbrook on Coach D Court. - Andrew Grimm

Indian Creek got off to a slow start in Thursday’s Division IV, East 1 District opening round contest against Meadowbrook and had an up-and-down night shooting. The one thing that was rock-solid throughout the game, though, was the Redskins’ defense.

Creek, the No. 2 seed in the district, held the 15th-seeded Colts in single digits in three of four quarters and just 21 percent shooting while pulling away for a 51-22 victory on Coach D Court.

They forced the visitors into 20 turnovers and recorded 10 steals.

“We had a slow start in the first half, they came out playing very physical and it took us a while to adjust to that,” Indian Creek head coach Steve Eft said. “Our defensive effort has always got to be there, we stress that. The girls know it starts with defense. If you’re defending well, you’re going to have a chance even if you’re not having a good night offensively.

Indian Creek’s Kaydence Walker puts up a shot on her way to a game-high 19 points. - Andrew Grimm

“We talk about how effort can make up for some mistakes, and our extra effort made a difference. It gave us a spark and carried us through.”

The Redskins (18-5) were 35.5 percent overall, but a 15 of 18 showing at the foul line — especially going 8 of 10 in the fourth quarter — helped make the score the run away it ended up being.

Meadowbrook (3-20), despite being the underdog, came to play — especially early. After Creek went on an 8-2 run to lead 10-4 after one, the Colts stormed back to even the score at 10-all midway through the second quarter.

After starting the quarter 0 for 6 shooting, though, Creek got going again. Gracie Wiley drained triples on back-to-back possessions to spark a Redskins run, then Kaydence Walker completed an old-fashioned three-point play to push the run to 13-3.

From there, Creek was in control.

Indian Creek’s Gracie Wiley drives to the paint. - Andrew Grimm

“Gracie Wiley hit those two 3s and really gave us some life, that was huge,” Eft said. “In the second half, she had a couple of hustle plays that got us going, too. She gave us some energy.

“It was a huge game for her. She comes to practice every day, she works hard and never complains. She does a lot of the dirty work that doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet, but she is a huge part of this team. It was nice to see her get some shots to fall.”

After that 0 for 6 start to the quarter, Creek made four of its last five shots from the field and held an eight point lead at halftime. The Redskins then scored the first 10 points of the third quarter, capped by back-to-back 3s from Gracie Klinesmith, pushing the lead to 18.

The margin was 15 going to the fourth and for good measure Creek outscored the Colts 16-2 in the final frame for the 29-point margin of victory.

“We have an experienced group, a lot of them played on the tournament run last year,” Eft said. “The girls understand that you’re going to get the best from every team now, the seeds and records don’t matter, everyone is going to play hard. They did a good job of responding and had a much better second half.”

Indian Creek senior Riley Sadler works to the basket. - Andrew Grimm

Walker led the way for Creek with a game-high 19 points, while pulling down six rebounds and recording three steals, two assists and a block. Riley Sadler, one of Creek’s seniors playing their last game on the home floor, had a double-double with 13 points, including a perfect 7 of 7 from the line, and grabbing 10 rebounds, recording five steals with two assists and two blocks. Wiley’s 10 points made it three in double figures and Klinesmith netted eight points.

“Every night it can be someone different for us,” Eft said. “I think all five starters have had games where they’ve finished in double figures this season. We like to share the basketball and keep teams honest because they put a lot of attention on Kaydence. We shared the ball better in the second half and good things happen when you do that.”

After being out-rebounded 6-3 in the first quarter, Creek took over the glass with a 22-13 advantage the rest of the way for a 25-19 margin on the night.

“It’s always good to win a tournament game at home,” Eft said. “We love playing here. We had a great crowd that was really loud and gave us energy. Hopefully we can keep it going and they travel with us the rest of the way.”

UP NEXT

Creek advances to take on No. 7 seed Zanesville Maysville (10-13) in the district semifinals on Wednesday. The Panthers defeated No. 12 seed Minerva in their opening round game Thursday, 41-31. The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. at a site to be announced on Saturday.

OHSAA Girls Basketball Tournament 

Division IV, East 1 District first round 

No. 2 Indian Creek 51,

No. 15 Meadowbrook 22

M 4-11-5-2 — 22

IC 10-13-12-16 — 51 

MEADOWBROOK (3-20): Beras 1-6 1-2 3; Valentine 4-12 3-4 11; Stevens 0-3 2-2 2; Kerns 3-11 0-0 6; Kackley 0-4 0-0 0; Anderson 0-2 0-0 0; Presdee 0-0 0-0 0; Farrin 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 8-38, 6-8; 22. 

INDIAN CREEK (18-5): Walker 8-16 3-3 19; Taylor 0-5 1-2 1; Wiley 2-4 4-6 10; Sadler 3-10 7-7 13; Klinesmith 3-9 0-0 8; Crouch 0-1 0-0 0; Leach 0-0 0-0 0; Florczak 0-0 0-0 0; Brown 0-0 0-0 0; Cozart 0-0 0-0 0; Miller 0-0 0-0 0; Branden 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 16-45, 15-18; 51. 

3-POINTERS: Meadowbrook 0-5; Indian Creek 4-13 (Wiley 2, Klinesmith 2). ASSISTS: Meadowbrook 5 (Stevens 3); Indian Creek 11 (Taylor 5). REBOUNDS: Meadowbrook 19 (Valentine 3); Indian Creek 25 (Sadler 10). STEALS: Meadowbrook 5 (Anderson 2); Indian Creek 10 (Sadler 5). BLOCKS: Meadowbrook 0; Indian Creek 3 (Sadler 2). TURNOVERS: Meadowbrook 20; Indian Creek 12.