MT. ORAB — The Western Brown Lady Broncos entered Monday night’s Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference match with the New Richmond Lady Lions looking to build on the squad’s victory over Batavia last week.
Thanks to a dominating fourth quarter, Western Brown was able to do just that, knocking off New Richmond 44-32.
The Lady Lions jumped out in front early. Maren Hance scored eight of the team’s 13 first-quarter points while Lexi Ring and Hannah Sininger combined to score seven for the Lady Broncos.
In the second quarter, Western Brown’s defense limited the Lady Lions to just one field goal, a three-point shot by Hance. The Lady Broncos scored 11 points, four of which came from Sugaree Shaffer. New Richmond led 20-18 at halftime.
Neither team could pull away in the third quarter. The teams traded baskets throughout the period, until the Lady Broncos used a basket from Shaffer and a three-point play from Nena Taylor to take a one-point lead with 39.3 seconds left in the quarter. However, roughly 30 seconds later, Bergen Workman hit a two-point shot for the Lady Lions, putting New Richmond back in front by one point at the end of the third.
The fourth quarter was a display of dominance on both ends of the court by Western Brown. The team started off the period with a three-pointer from Sininger, then proceeded to steal the ball back. Emma Wells, who had not scored yet in the game, hit another three-point shot, giving Western Brown a quick 6-0 run and turning their one-point deficit into a five-point lead.
The Lady Broncos weren’t done. MacKenzie Brooks hauled in a rebound off the Lady Lions’ next missed shot and threw a long pass to Shaffer, who caught it and converted the layup. Wells hit another basket at the 5:40 mark of the quarter, giving her five points in just over two minutes.
New Richmond finally got on the board thanks to a Hance free-throw, but Wells scored five more points in the next 50 seconds to increase Western Brown’s lead to 42-29. Shaffer then banked in a hook shot for the Lady Broncos, putting the team up by 15 points. Lindsey Williams converted an old-fashioned three-point play for the Lady Lions, which was the only field goal made in the quarter.
Sininger led the squad with 11 points, six of which came at the free-throw line. Wells scored 10 for the Lady Broncos, all in the fourth quarter, while Shaffer and Brooks added eight and six, respectively.
The Lady Broncos have one more regular-season game remaining before the SBAAC Tournament this weekend. The team welcomes Amelia to town on Thursday, Feb. 4 for senior night.
Southern Hills Athletic Conference
Glenwood New Boston 43, West Union 23
Fayetteville 67, Manchester 50
Ripley 29, Peebles 21
North Adams 54, Western Latham 39
Lynchburg 76, Washington Court House 41
Lucasville Valley 51, Eastern 48
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Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference
Amelia 38, Batavia 36
Georgetown 50, Clermont Northeastern 40
Williamsburg 76, Felicity 58
Blanchester 46, Bethel-Tate 45
Goshen 71, Norwood 65