VERSAILLES – The Tri-Village Lady Patriots opened postseason play in dominant fashion, defeating the Dayton Christian Lady Warriors 77-20 in first-round action of the OHSAA Division VI Southwest District Sectional.
Using a balanced scoring attack and steady substitutions throughout the night, veteran Tri-Village coach Brad Gray saw all 10 available Lady Patriots contribute to the scoring column, including five players reaching double figures in the lopsided tournament win.
“All of our kids came in and played really well,” Gray said. “A lot of them got early minutes tonight. All ten of our kids.”
The night’s biggest moment came early in the opening quarter when senior Adalynn Hines scored her 1,000th career point, marking a significant milestone in her Lady Patriots career.
“Really happy for Adalynn to achieve a milestone like that of 1,000 points,” Gray said. “She’s put a ton of time in the gym with her dad, working on her skill levels. She has always been really athletic and has turned herself into a skilled basketball player as well. To see a kid who has put time and effort in the way she has get rewarded with a personal achievement — she has always put team first, but to be able to achieve a personal goal like that, I’m really happy for her because kids like that who put time in deserve it.”
Tri-Village wasted little time taking control, racing out to a 27-7 first-quarter lead behind nine points from Hines and eight from fellow senior Tai Mize.
The Lady Patriots continued to build their advantage in the second period, pouring in 23 points while Dayton Christian managed eight. Seven different Tri-Village players scored in the quarter, sending the teams to halftime with the Patriots comfortably ahead 50-15 and a running clock in effect for the second half.
With shortened quarters in play, Tri-Village outscored the Lady Warriors 14-3 in the third period, fueled by eight points from Taytum Gray to extend the lead to 64-14.
“Kenna Wilcox is not here today, but the ten others who were here all got early minutes,” Gray said. “They were all productive with their minutes, and to see some kids who normally don’t score the ball get an opportunity to get their groove going a little bit in the third and fourth quarters was pretty neat.”
Tri-Village closed out the contest by taking the final quarter 13-2, securing the 57-point sectional victory and advancing in tournament play.
With the postseason now underway and contributions coming from across the roster, the Lady Patriots carry strong momentum into the next round as they continue their pursuit of a deep tournament run.
BOX SCORE:
TRI-VILLAGE 77, DAYTON CHRISTIAN 20
TRI-VILLAGE – A. Hines 16, T. Gray 11, A. Light 11, S. DeLong 10, T. Mize, M. Bierly 6, R. Hunt 4, M. Besecker 4 K. Brandon 3, E. Greer 2 – TOTALS 25 6-9 7 77
Dayton Christian – A. Ventura 10, V. Garrett 5, H. Aldridge 3, M. Vaughn 2 – TOTALS 7 3-5 1 20
3-POINTERS
Tri-Village 7 (T. Gray 2, A. Hines 2, M. Bierly 1, K. Brandon 1, A. Light 1)
Dayton Christian 1 (H. Aldridge 1)
SCORE by QUARTERS
27-23-14-13 77 Tri-Village
07-08-03-02 20 Dayton Christian
