Talawanda’s girls basketball team couldn’t have picked a better time than Thursday night to play Reading.

The Braves are scheduled to open their Southwest Ohio Conference schedule Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Mt. Healthy against a Fighting Owls team that relies on a 2-3 zone defense. That’s why Ana Richter and her Talawanda teammates were happy to see the Blue Devils deploy in a 2-3 zone Thursday at Talawanda.

The Braves were even happier to have some success against it. Richter scored 21 points and junior guard Megan Richardson and senior guard Brilyn Webb added 12 each as Talawanda rolled to a 59-33 win.

“We need to be ready for that,” Richter, a 6-foot-1 forward who scored 22 points in the Braves’ 46-18 win over Division I Milford in their season-opener, said about the zone.

What Talawanda’s opponents have to be ready for is the Braves’ defense, a clawing, trapping man-to-man that has forced their first two opponents into a combined 56 turnovers, including 31 by Reading, which shot just 28.6 percent (12-of-42) from the field.

The defense triggers the offense, said second-year coach Kim Richter said.

“Defensively, we like to play aggressively,” said Kim Richter, who last season led Talawanda to its first sectional championship since 1988. “It helps us get into our transition offense where we can make easy baskets.”

Talawanda scored 25 points off turnovers to 13 for Reading (1-1), a Cincinnati Hills League team, but the Braves committed 16 turnovers themselves, leading to 13 Blue Devil points.

“We’re happy with our progress, but we’re still evolving,” Kim Richter said. “It takes time to get to excellent. Right now, rebounding and boxing out are key components for us. We want to make sure we’re playing under control.”

“We played much better as a team on Saturday than we did tonight,” said Ana Richter, who attributed to the difference to adjusting to the Reading zone.

The Braves never trailed after sophomore center Darby Glaab sank a short jumper to give them a 9-7 lead with 4:03 left in the first quarter. They took control with a 19-6 second quarter in which Ana Richter scored 13 points.

She and Richardson also tied for the team lead with eight rebounds, while Richardson finished with a team-high four assists.