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RICHMOND -- The battle of the cats turned out to be a defensive struggle.
The Edison girls basketball team held Buckeye Local without a field goal for almost nine minutes, and the Wildcats came up with a key turnover late in the game as they held on to defeat the Panthers, 43-39, Wednesday night at home.
Edison led 41-39 with 11.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Buckeye Local inbounded the ball, but the Wildcats were able to come away with a steal, and Edison iced the game with a pair of free throws with 8.9 seconds still showing on the scoreboard clock.
“We went to our bread and butter,” Edison (9-6) head coach Mark Smyth said. “We went to our 1-3-1. We did a good job of denying the ball on the outbounds pass. That is our go to defense. We are most comfortable with that, so that is why we did that.”
A desperation 3-pointer bounced off the rim on Buckeye Local’s final possession.
“On our first trip, we wanted to drive to the basket,” first-year Buckeye Local (3-8) head coach Tom Valuska said. “We were down two, and we wanted to drive and possibly get fouled. That would have put us by one. Then, defensively, we wanted to deny. Unfortunately, we ended up with a turnover.
“On our next possession, we had a play drawn up for a 3. The shooter we wanted to take the 3 did not take the shot. She passed the ball off. It is what it is. It is a learning experience.
“The last time we played them they beat us pretty good. We came out tonight, and we showed a lot of resolve. I am proud of the girls.”
The Wildcats led 32-24 entering the fourth. The Panthers scored the first five points of the quarter to pull within 32-29. Edison responded and built its lead back up to seven at 40-33, but Buckeye Local battled back and pulled to within two, however, the visitors were unable to get over the hump.
Savanna Ankrom sealed the deal for the Wildcats with a pair of free throws. Ankrom, who went 5-of-6 from the free-throw line in the fourth – collected a game-high 21 points to lead the way for the Wildcats.
“Our point guard Savanna Ankrom had a fantastic game,” Smyth said. “Alysea (Fiedorczyk) was sick, so she could not play tonight. Savanna stepped up. She was our primary ball handler. She was our only veteran ball handler. She handled the ball in the full court. They used a full court press. They pressured us full court, and our other guards stepped up. Gracie Fox changed positions. She was our No. 2 ball handler along with Alayna Meadows. They supplemented Savanna when it came to handling the ball.”
Ankrom was the lone Wildcat to reach double digits in scoring. Pam Johnson, Alayna Meadows, Pressley Meadows and Fox all finished with five points for the hosts
Emily Valuska tallied a team-high 11 points for the Panthers. Brynn McKeever recorded nine points, and Adrianna Blazeski and Rylee Glover each collected seven for the visitors.
Edison led 7-1 at the end of the first quarter.
The Wildcats struck first in the second to go up 9-1 before Glover drained a 3-pointer for the Panthers first field goal 8:58 into the game.
“That makes it tough,” Coach Valuska said. “We knew they were going to run a 1-3-1. We got a lot of field goals in the paint. We did not shoot well from the outside. They ran that 1-3-1, and that clogged up the paint. We talked to them during breaks about driving. We wanted to drive and move the defense. We wanted to drive and kick the ball out for some high-percentage 2s. We also wanted to try and score in transition. We have to play more in transition.”
The Panthers scratched and clawed their way back into the game as the girls in blue pulled within one at 11-10, but the Wildcats scored eight of the final 10 points in the quarter to take a 19-12 lead at halftime.
“It is never a question of effort with these girls,” Smyth said. “These girls always play exceptionally hard. It is never about effort. In the first nine minutes, we did a good job of rotating and rebounding.”
Buckeye Local battled back and pulled to within 22-19 in the third, but Edison was once again able to establish some breathing room late in the quarter as the Wildcats built an eight-point advantage after three quarters of play.
“We kept battling,” Coach Valuska said. “We would fight our way back into the game.”
The win enabled Edison to sweep the season series from Buckeye Local. The Wildcats toppled the Panthers, 55-48, Dec. 1 on the road.
“They did not press us like this the first time,” Smyth said. “The pressure was different. They are well coached. Their coach is doing a great job. We had to adjust to their pressure. We jumped out on them 21-5 in the first quarter the last time. They came out ready to play today. They made an adjustment to their defense. That is a testament to their coach and to their players.”
The Wildcats and Panthers have had many battles through the years.
“They are well coached, and they play hard,” Smyth said about Buckeye Local.
Both teams are scheduled to return to the court Monday.
Edison is slated to play Buckeye 8 North Division rival East Liverpool at home. The JV game is set to start at 5:30 p.m. The Wildcats defeated the Potters, 47-32, Dec. 9 up at Potter Fieldhouse.
Buckeye Local will play at Bridgeport. The JV game will tip off at 6 p.m.
“We have got three wins now, and I hope we are able to pick up some wins this season,” Coach Valuska said.
Edison 43, Buckeye Local 39
Buckeye Local 1 11 12 15 – 39
Edison 7 12 13 11 – 43
BUCKEYE LOCAL (3-8): McKeever 2 5-6 9, Ankrom 0 0-0 0, George 1 0-0 2, Blazeski 2 3-7 7, Glover 3 0-0 7, Kinyo 0 0-0 0, Long 1 0-0 2, Valuska 4 3-4 11, Pelkey 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 13 11-17 39.
EDISON (9-6): Johnson 2 0-0 5, Ankrom 6 7-8 21, A. Meadows 1 3-8 5, P. Meadows 2 1-2 5, Fox 2 1-4 5, Browning 1 0-0 2, Collopy 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 14 12-22 43.
3-POINTERS: Buckeye Local 1 (Glover); Edison 3 (Ankrom 2, Johnson)