COVINGTON – The Arcanum Lady Trojans defeated the Dayton Christian Lady Warriors 66-22 in OHSAA opening round DVI tournament play, with 10 Lady Trojans denting the scoreboard.
“We came out focused,” said Arcanum coach Abbey Moore. “We wanted to get into a routine. We are going to keep that rolling into the next round.”
With a height advantage, Arcanum raced out to a 19-2 first-quarter lead before settling on a 25-7 score after one period of play, led by eight Caroline Long points, two Brooke Anderson 3-pointers, good for six points, and Alexis Gibbons chipping in six points, including 2-2 at the free-throw line.
“We knew we would have the matchup advantage in the post,” Moore said, “and we took advantage of that to start.”
The Lady Trojans took the second period by a 20-7 count with six players in the scoring column to lead 45-14 with the teams headed to the halftime break.
The Arcanum made it an early 51-14 second-half running clock with 6:46 on the board, taking the third by a 12-3 score to lead 57-17 with one quarter to play.
Period no. 4 went to the Lady Trojans 6-5 score, advancing Arcanum with an impressive 41-point tournament win. Arcanum’s defense was running on all cylinders, forcing 25 Lady Warriors turnovers in the win.
“Defense is going to be what wins championships,” said Coach Moore. “We have to keep that focus, which sets the tone and allows us to score some easy opportunities in transition. We have to keep that rolling. We were able to force those turnovers today.”
The entire Arcanum roster got valuable tournament experience on the court in the win.
“All those girls work hard each day,” said Coach Moore. To be able to get everybody in and contribute makes my heart warm as a coach. It’s great to see the support on the bench.”
Arcanum junior post player Caroline Long led the Lady Trojans and all scorers with a game-high 16 points.
“We have been working hard in practice on finishing through the contact, which is paying off,” Moore noted. “Caroline played strong today. When she sees her potential, she’s unstoppable. At this point in the year, we will use her strengths to our advantage.”
BOXSCORE:
ARCANUM 63, DAYTON CHRISTIAN 22
ARCANUM – C. Long 16, A. Gibbons 10, A. Leeper 8, G. Wooten 4, B. Anderson 6, J. Swartz 5, M. Noe 4, E. Flatter 4, C. Hein 2, F. Wooten 2 – TOTALS 22 7-9 4 63
DAYTON CHRISTIAN – A. Ventura 10, V. Garrett 7, L. Litteral 3, S, Clemments 2 – TOTALS 5 3-3 3 22
3-POINTERS
Arcanum 4 (B. Anderson 2, J. Schwartz 1, A. Leeper 1)
Dayton Christian 3 (A. Ventura 2, L. Litteral 1)
SCORE by QUARTERS
25-20-12-06 63 Arcanum
07-07-03-05 22 Dayton Christian
