Gamer: Lewis County outlasts Ripley, 62-53

By JOE ALBRIGHT   <a href="mailto:Josephpalbright3@gmail.com">Josephpalbright3@gmail.com</a>   RIPLEY – Lewis County head coach Joe Nichols knew his Minutemaids had a tall task ahead of them during a road test against Ripley Saturday afternoon.   His team passed said test.     [player_tooltip player_id='391468' first='Kenna' last='Maxwell'] scored 19 points, [player_tooltip player_id='410476' first='Bryn' last='Hunt'] scored two big buckets to seal the game, and the Minutemaids left Jackson County with a 62-53 win over the Vikings.   Overall, Hunt tallied 15 points, including her last two shots that put things out of reach.   With her group leading 53-52 with 5:56 left in the ball game, they required a little breathing room to pull away. Hunt provided that breathing room. She opened up the airway after she scored a dribble floater in the lane off a cross-court pass from teammate Ella Pinkney. She sent the air flowing with a short pop-up off a Ripley turnover.   Ripley didn't have a chance to pull even, again. Lewis County ramped up the defensive pressure, forcing several turnovers in the closing minutes.   Lewis County head coach Joe Nichols praised Hunt for her performance in the final period.   “Bryn grew so much during the offseason. She's always been a big-shot girl for us to step up. It doesn't surprise me when she's doing it because she's been doing it for the last couple of years,” he said.   The win moved Lewis County to 10-0 on the season. It also was their third victory over a team that participated in last year's Class AAA state tournament. They beat North Marion back on Dec. 5 then, sixteen days later, they conquered Sissonville.   This game, like the previous two seasoned teams, wasn't a gimme.   Even playing on the tail end of back-to-back nights, the Vikings presented a challenge to the Minutemaids. They did not go quietly at any point in the contest. The game featured 13 lead changes and five ties.   The first swap came before the contest was even two minutes old. Hunt staked the visitors to an early lead with a quick layup off a steal from teammate [player_tooltip player_id='570476' first='Payten' last='Goodwin']. [player_tooltip player_id='375427' first='Sophie' last='Nichols'] shifted the advantage back to the home team when she drained a 3 following the two teams trading defensive blows.   The lead would change hands one more time on Erin Ryan's 3 in the middle of a 9-0 run, but the Vikings couldn't gain much separation. They took a 21-17 lead into the second quarter.   Their advantage didn't last long as Lewis County started the period on a 7-0 run. Goodwin started the sequence with a pretty layup. Hunt continued the run with a trey on the left wing off a [player_tooltip player_id='877290' first='Emma' last='Pinkney'] assist. Then, Pinkney herself sent her group ahead with a tough basket down low.   Five straight points by Abbie Eastman sent the home team back in front with 3:12 left until halftime. The lead held up for less than a minute. Back-to-back 3s from Maxwell, including a four-point play, gave the visitors a 31-30 halftime advantage.   Nichols, who scored 12 points in the opening quarter, was held to zero in the second quarter. Lewis County made some changes that limited her offensively.   “We took away gap help and just kinda stayed glued to her. She is one of those players you just have to disrupt what she is doing to get her out of her rhythm because once she gets going it is hard to get her out of it,” Nichols said.   Nichols was satisfied with the one-point lead at halftime. Ripley was not satisfied with the deficit.   The Vikings made their dissatisfaction known early in the third period. Sophie scored six quick points to put the Vikings back in front 36-33. An Abbie Eastman jumper followed up with a Nichols' pushback pushed Ripley to 40 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='391468' first='Kenna' last='Maxwell'] knotted things at 40 all on a triple from the win with 4:38 left in the period. Following a Nichols timeout, the two teams traded the lead two times before Ripley went ahead 48-45 at the end of the period thanks to a pair of free throws from Eastman.   The third quarter was a defining quarter for Nichols and Eastman. The two combined for 18 of the Vikings' 20 points.   The pair's effort put Lewis County in a 50-48 hole after three quarters, but Hunt said the plan was simple as they entered the fourth quarter.   “We didn't want to turn the ball over. We wanted to make good plays and get good sets,” she said.   Her group executed in the final stanza. Goodwin's floater with 7:06 left in the contest knotted things at 50 all. Things didn't stay tied up long. Two of [player_tooltip player_id='877290' first='Emma' last='Pinkney']'s six points gave the Minutemaids the lead for good. Her shot set the stage for Hunt, who put the game out of reach with her two big baskets.   The closing stanza left Hunt pleased with her team's effort as they closed out win No. 10.   “I think we executed pretty well in that final period,” Hunt said. “Joe conditioned us really well. We took good shots.”   Ripley dropped its fourth contest of the season. The Vikings were led in scoring by Nichols' 24 points and Eastman's 15 points.

By JOE ALBRIGHT