COVINGTON – Arcanum fought off a feisty Houston team on several occasions. With the Wildcats up 30-28 late in 3rd quarter the Trojans scored 11 unanswered points and went on to claim a district semi-final victory 48-35.
“We knew it was going to be a battle against a competitive Houston team. They have gotten better since we last played them and it’s tough to beat the same team twice,” Arcanum coach Abbey Moore said after the game.
The Trojans on the strength of Caroline Long inside with 6 points and two triples from Matty Noe would take a 15-11 lead in the opening frame.
Houston battled back tying the game at 18 with a minute left to play in the first half only to see Arcanum go on five-point burst on back-to-back buckets from Long and Lexy Gibbons.
Gibbons was also sandwiched on a last second lay-up attempt and added a free throw to give Arcanum a 23-18 lead at the break.
Long had 9 points, Matty Noe 6, Gibbons 5 and Brooke Anderson 3 in the first half.
Arcanum’s Long opened the 3rd quarter with a fielder in the paint to go up 25-18 … but the Wildcats clawed back scoring 5 unanswered points of their own to close the gap to 25-23.
Brooke Anderson knocked down a triple to stop the run at the five-minute mark to go up 28-23 … but once again Houston answered this time a 7-point run for a 30-28 advantage at 3:48.
There was no panic on the part of Arcanum or coach Moore because she knows her team is battle tested and can handle bumps in the road.
“You know, in that moment, we’ve been in those situations this year, we’ve been battle tested, a big part is due to the schedule we play. I told my girls, they might be disadvantaged during the season with our schedule … but I do it so at the end of the year we’re going to be able to win ball games and go to a district championship,” Moore stated.
Arcanum clamped down on defense the remainder of the quarter and went on an eight-point run with Gibbons leading the charge scoring seven of them for a 36-30 lead heading into the final frame.
The defense would shine only allowing just five points in the fourth quarter and the Trojans took care of the basketball, made some shots and free throws to clinch the 48-35 win.
“I’m just so proud of the grit and the determination of my team, every day that these girls’ step in the gym, our coaching staff challenges them, and we challenge them to get better,” Moore explained.
Arcanum handed Houston a 47-37 loss on the same floor at the Covington Holiday Classic … but the Wildcats were without their star player Emily Earl in that matchup.
“Coming into this game I had all the confidence in the world, in them, because I knew we’d gotten better,” Moore remarked.
“We knew Earl was a great ball player and a handful with the way she can rebound, and I told the girls, it’s going to come down to keeping her off the boards in the second half, it’s a tough task to ask. But I think the change in defense kind of took her out of the equation a little bit and we did a good job keeping the ball out of her hands,” Moore commented.
Caroline Long got Arcanum going doing work in the paint. She scored 17 and had 11 boards in win over Houston. (Dale Barger photo)
Lexy Gibbons and Caroline Long who have been consistent all season led the way. Gibbons had 17 points, Long 17 and 5 rebounds, Matty Noe 7 points, Brooke Anderson 6 points and 5 rebounds and Claire Hein nabbed 5 boards as well.
“Lex and Caroline have been consistent all year, and I’m just so proud of them, because they draw the pressure, the best defenders and for them to continue to perform the way they do game in and game out will go a long way for both of them,” Moore emphasized.
Arcanum now moves onto the OHSAA DVI District Final game for the first time since the 2019-20 season falling to Anna by two points.
They will face Fort Recovery for the second time this year who they defeated 34-33 the first game of year. The Indians beat 16-7 West Liberty Salem 40-31 to reach the district final game.
“We’ve got to work hard this week, because we now face Fort Recovery for the 2nd time this season … but we are thankful because these girls earned and deserve this opportunity,” Moore concluded.
The district final game will be played on Saturday February 22nd at 5:30pm at Monroe High School located at 220 Yankee Road, Monroe, OH.
