Leah Brown (right) of Marysville pressures a shot attempt by Fairbanks’ Gracie Pyers. The Lady Monarchs won, 46-18, on Thursday. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
The Fairbanks Lady Panther hoop squad got off to a solid start against its Marysville counterpart Thursday evening.
It was not, however, something the FHS girls could sustain during a 46-18 loss to their northern neighbor.
“We came out and played well at the start,” said Fairbanks coach Landon Fraker. “Once Marysville ramped up its intensity, we couldn’t match it.”
Panther sophomore Carly Lehman knocked down a pair of trifectas and converted a steal into a layup during the early portion of the game.
Her second three-ball gave FHS an 8-7 lead two minutes into the contest.
The Lady Monarchs, though, began to assert themselves with sharper screens and cuts for baskets.
Madi Sloan got the ball in the paint and scored inside Fairbanks’ zone defense.
Her bucket gave Marysville a 9-8 lead.
The Lady Monarchs never trailed the rest of the contest.
They began to put some separation between themselves and the Panthers over the next several minutes.
Leah Brown swished a trey and Ava Krutowskis was spot-on with a pair of charity tosses at the 1:45 mark of the stanza.
MHS held a 14-8 margin as both teams swapped several possessions.
Ava Wilkerson then nudged the nylon with a three-ball, sending Marysville into the next quarter with a 17-8 spread.
MHS had trouble penetrating for inside baskets on a number of occasions.
Wilkerson, though, was able to split the defense for a 23-8 Monarch lead.
“Fairbanks’ zone gave us some fits,” said Marysville coach Klarke Ransome. “We’re tough to match up with in a man-to-man and that’s why they played zone against us.”
Tinley Graves swished a jumper shortly before Wilkerson’s bucket that gave MHS its 15-point advantage.
Wilkerson followed a couple minutes later with a stickback that elevated Marysville’s margin to 25-8.
The Lady Panthers’ offense was shut out during the eight-minute set.
“When Marysville began to speed up the game, we sped up our shots,” said Fraker. “We had some good looks at the basket, but they just didn’t fall.”
Kass Lee later kicked the ball out to Wilkerson, whose next trey pushed MHS out to a 28-8 halftime lead.
Nearly three minutes went by in the third period before another basket was scored.
Both teams came up with empty possessions until Elaina Lahmers tallied FHS’ initial bucket of the quarter.
That shot finally lifted the Lady Panthers into double-digit scoring.
MHS, however, took a 30-10 advantage on a basket by Krutowskis.
Brown drilled another three-ball and then drove the baseline after a shot fake.
She tallied two more points, elevating Marysville’s lead to 35-14.
Sloan batted the ball away on the other end of the court to thwart FHS’ ensuing possession.
The Lady Monarchs then climbed to a 38-14 lead during the waning seconds of the third set on a trifecta from Graves.
Both teams came up dry on their final possessions of the period.
Lee sank a charity toss and Fairbanks’ Macy Miller hit a jumper within the first two minutes of the final quarter.
Abri Schmutz took the ball to the hoop, pushing Marysville out to a 41-16 advantage.
Ellie Carter tallied the Lady Panthers’ final points on a jumper.
JoJo Eberhart of MHS hit a two-point shot.
She later tickled the twine on a three-pointer to provide for Marysville’s final margin of victory.
“I think we played well tonight, especially from an energy and effort standpoint,” said Ransome. “We still have to work on some things such as communicating on the court.”
The Lady Monarchs improved to 15-5 with the victory.
A win this evening at Olentangy Berlin will give MHS the outright Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division championship.
The Lady Panthers closed out their regular season with a 12-10 mark.
They will travel to Liberty Union on Wednesday for the opening game of the Division III post-season.
Marysville
Wilkerson 5-0-12, Brown 4-0-10, Krutowskis 2-2-7, Graves 2-0-5, Eberhart 2-0-5, K. Lee 1-1-3, Sloan 1-0-2, Schmutz 1-0-2, C. Lee 0-0-0, Williams 0-0-0, Strahm 0-0-0. Totals 18-3-46.
Three-point goals: Wilkerson 2, Brown 2, Krutowskis 1, Graves 1, Eberhart 1.
Fairbanks
Lehman 3-0-8, M. Miller 2-0-4, Pyers 1-0-2, Carter 1-0-2, Lahmers 1-0-2, Rausch 0-0-0, Kugel 0-0-0, Poling 0-0-0, L. Miller 0-0-0, Thrush 0-0-0, Smith 0-0-0. Totals 8-0-18.
Three-point goals: Lehman 2.
Marysville’s reserve squad won the preliminary contest, 48-14.
Schmutz led the Jr. Monarchs with 16 points.
Rachel Hoover topped FHS with six.
Fairbanks coach Landon Fraker, left, keeps a watchful eye on the sideline stripe while Marysville’s Tinley Graves battles to keep the ball in play. Pictured in the background is Fairbanks’ Ellie Carter. MHS defeated the Lady Panthers on Thursday. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)