GREENVILLE – The Greenville Lady Wave put their defensive identity on full display Tuesday night, rolling past the visiting Xenia Lady Buccaneers 47-14 in MVL play while showcasing balance, depth, and steady growth under first-year head coach Shane Hillard.
Greenville dictated the tempo from the opening tip, holding Xenia scoreless in the first quarter and building separation with relentless on-ball pressure and unselfish offensive play. Nine Lady Wave players found the scoring column, and every player saw meaningful minutes in the lopsided conference win.
“We wanted to dictate the pace,” Hillard said. “I thought they did a good job of that.”
The matchup marked the second meeting between the two teams this season. In the first contest at Xenia on Dec. 13, Greenville escaped with a narrow 31-28 win. Tuesday’s rematch looked much different.
“You have to remember, we were still new then,” Hillard noted. “The system we’re doing, it’s going to take two years at least before we really start seeing what’s going to happen with it, so they’re just scratching the surface. It’s a tribute to how hard they work every day.”
The Lady Wave wasted little time setting the tone, blanking the Lady Buccaneers in the opening period while scoring 11 points of their own. Jayda Lyons paced Greenville early with six points on three baskets as the Wave took an 11-0 lead after one quarter.
Greenville continued to clamp down defensively in the second period, allowing just three Xenia points. Baskets from Megan Loudy, Sara Loudy, Rielynn Davidson, and Riley Thomas helped push the Lady Wave to a commanding 19-3 halftime advantage.
The third quarter brought more of the same. Greenville extended its lead to 32-10 after outscoring the Buccaneers 13-7 in the period. Sara Loudy led the way with six points, including a perfect 2-for-2 effort at the free-throw line, while Megan Loudy added four points and Lyons chipped in three.
One noticeable difference as the season has progressed, Hillard said, has been the team’s conditioning.
“We would get tired early when we started the season, but it went away pretty quickly,” he explained. “With how hard they play and how many games we had early, they kind of played themselves into condition.”
Greenville had an opportunity to enforce a running clock late in the fourth quarter but instead chose to hold the ball, closing out the game with a 47-14 final margin. Five Lady Wave players scored in the final period, led by Eliana Hammaker and Taylor Holzapfel with four points apiece. Sara Loudy added a 3-pointer, while Lyons and Megan Loudy each chipped in two points.
“The younger ones did an excellent job,” Hillard said. “When they came on the court, nothing fell off. I was proud of how they handled themselves.”
Jayda Lyons and Sara Loudy led all scorers with 11 points apiece, highlighting a night where teamwork took center stage.
“Right now, everybody is doing such a good job,” Hillard said. “They play together, everybody shares it, and it’s hard to pick one person out when everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to do. That’s a good thing to have.”
Greenville’s depth was further tested with lineup adjustments, but Hillard praised his players for stepping up.
“Jayda was good again tonight,” he said. “Leah did a nice job stepping into that starting lineup. Aubrey was a little sick, so her minutes were down, but credit to all of them for the way they’re doing things right now.”
For Hillard, the biggest takeaway was belief.
“It’s nice to see them start believing they’re good enough to win,” he said. “That’s really nice to see.”
BOX SCORE:
GREENVILLE 47, XENIA 14
GREENVILLE – J. Lyons 11, S. Loudy 11, M. Loudy 9, E. Hammaker 4, T. Holzapfel 4, L. Force 2, R. Davidson 2, R. Thomas 2, M. Legenzoff 2 – TOTALS 19 6-13 1 47
XENIA – N. Madison 7, P. Hoosier 4, O. Smith 3 – TOTALS 4 3-8 1 14
3-POINTERS
Greenville 1 (E. Hammaker)
Xenia 1 (O. Smith 1)
SCORE by QUARTERS
11-08-13-15 47 Greenville
00-03-07-04 14 Xenia
