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WINTERSVILLE -- The Indian Creek girls basketball team controlled its game against Beaver Local from the opening jump until the final buzzer sounded.
The Redskins recorded the first 11 points and never looked back en route to defeating the Beavers, 59-33, Monday night at home in a Buckeye 8 North Division matchup.
“That is something we talked about doing,” Indian Creek (3-0) head coach Steve Eft said about his team fast start. “We got off to a slow start in our last game Thursday night at East Liverpool. That was a point of emphasis coming into this game, and our girls started fast. The girls did a good job. They were able to create a lot of turnovers, and we were able to get some early baskets and that helped us to get going.”
The Redskins led 21-2 at the end of the first quarter.
“They got off to a fast start,” Beaver Local (3-2) head coach Tony Sorge said. “We did not have enough speed or effort at the start. We got down early, and we were not able to get back into the game.”
The hosts extended their advantage to 34-13 at halftime.
After a three-point play by Kylie Anderson gave Indian Creek a 24-3 lead early in the second quarter, Beaver Local was only able to get within under 20 points on one occasion.
“The girls came out with a lot of energy, and that was good to see,” Eft said. “We started out in a zone, and we were able to create turnovers out of it. Then, we went to straight man-to-man. It was nice that we were able to go man. We stayed in man for the final three quarters. We want to work on our man defense. We are getting better every day. We want to keep improving. I am proud of the girls.”
Both teams committed 19 turnovers in the game.
“We knew they liked to press,” Sorge said. “We expected it, and we were ready for it. We came out, and their press got to us. We dribbled the ball too much against their zone. We had too many turnovers. It just did not work out for us. We could not get our shots to drop. We just got down too quick too early.”
Beaver Local had 10 turnovers in the first half, while Indian Creek recorded seven.
The Redskins were balanced offensively as five players scored at least seven points, three of which produced double digits. Individually, Tori Robertson netted a game-high 14 points, while Mackenzie Scott and Anderson each tallied 10. Also, Samm Ratkovec and Abby Starkey each collected seven points. No player reached double figures in scoring for the Beavers.
Peyton Roberts and Chansyn Hoppel each delivered eight points in the loss.
“We scouted them a couple of times,” Eft said. “They like to switch defenses from zone to man. They play hard. We were able to attack their defense. Our girls did a good job recognizing what defense they were in, and we kept attacking. We still had too many turnovers for my liking, but we are making progress. We have a young team, and we are starting to mature.”
All three of Indian Creek’s wins on the season have come against teams from the Buckeye 8 North Division -- Edison, East Liverpool and now Beaver Local.
The victors outscored the visitors, 14-9, in the third as Indian Creek took a 48-22 lead into the fourth.
“We are a team that likes to get out and run and create turnovers,” Sorge said. “We have had success doing that in our previous games, but that did not happen tonight. They were able to create turnovers. They were able to create turnovers, and they were able to capitalize on those turnovers.”
Both teams scored 11 points in the fourth.
Indian Creek’s biggest lead was 33 points (59-26).
The Redskins outrebounded the Beavers, 38-17. Maddie Ballato pulled down a game-high nine boards to lead the way for Indian Creek, while Roberts grabbed eight rebounds for Beaver Local.
Indian Creek won the jayvee game, 29-20.
Beaver Local is scheduled to play Harrison Central Thursday night at home. The jayvee game is slated to start at 5:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, Indian Creek will play Wheeling Park at 8 p.m. Friday night on the road. The Patriots have gotten off to a good start to the season.
“I have seen Wheeling Park twice,” Eft said. “They have got some young talent. They have played some lopsided games. I am glad we have three days to get ready to play them. Our girls work hard. We are going to go down there and battle. We will see what happens.”
Indian Creek 59, Beaver Local 33
Beaver Local 2 11 9 11 - 33
Indian Creek 21 13 14 11 - 59
BEAVER LOCAL (2-3): Roberts 3 2-2 8, Eellss 0 0-0 0, Fitzsimmons 3 0-0 6, Hoppel 3 2-2 8, Narry 1 1-2 3, J. Palmer 1 1-2 3, Starkey 0 0-0 0, Jordan 2 0-0 5, Young 0 0-0 0, Lane 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 12 8-10 33.
INDIAN CREEK (3-0): Crites 0 0-0 0, Scott 3 3-6 10, Ratkovec 1 5-6 7, Starkey 3 0-0 7, Ballato 1 2-4 4, Smith 1 0-1 3, Ketron 2 0-1 4, Anderson 4 1-1 10, Robertson 6 2-2 14, Allen 0 0-2 0. TOTALS: 21 13-23 59.
3-POINTERS: Beaver Local 1 (Jordan); Indian Creek 4 (Scott, Starkey, Smith, Anderson). REBOUNDS: Beaver Local 17 (Roberts 8); Indian Creek 38 (Ballato 9). TURNOVERS: Beaver Local 19; Indian Creek 19.