Prep girls basketball: Shawnee loses big lead, then conquers Hornets

The Preble Shawnee High School girls basketball team has showed its coach a few things.

Kevin Schaeffer knew his Arrows were a solid unit, but he felt Saturday afternoon’s 55-51 victory over visiting Monroe might be a sign of something more.

“I told them before the game that this would be a great measuring stick to see where we’re at,” Schaeffer said. “I don’t like saying it out loud, but I think we’re a pretty good basketball team. That win really helped me think about what we can do the rest of the season, that we can compete with Waynesville in the league and make a run in the (Division III) tournament.”

BOYS BASKETBALL

Jenna Lovely recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds for Shawnee (10-2). Nicole Sims scored 12 points, while Shelbie Brown and Brenna Woodard both added 8.

The Arrows monopolized the boards by a 42-24 margin and sank 26 of 40 foul shots in a roller-coaster contest that saw the hosts forge a 22-8 lead, then fall behind 35-30 in the third quarter.

“We kept our heads. We played together,” said Sims, a junior guard. “We stayed in the game and played how we know how to play.”

Said Schaeffer, “They gave us some matchup issues. I knew they were going to come storming back. They played three quarters of pretty good basketball.”

Lovely’s jumper from the right wing with 2:47 remaining pushed Shawnee ahead for good (48-46). The Arrows were 7 of 10 from the line the rest of the way.

“We’ve been working on on that all year,” Schaeffer said of his team’s work at the charity stripe. “We lost probably four or five games last year because we couldn’t knock down free throws.”

Monroe had multiple players in foul trouble throughout the game, and Alyssa Beckett and Olivia Wells-Daniels both fouled out.

It was the second appearance of the season for Wells-Daniels, a sophomore transfer from Middletown who had to sit out the first 11 games. She was limited to 4 points and three rebounds.

Nobody performed consistently well on the glass for the Hornets (8-5), who saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.

“From getting off the bus to getting back on the bus right now, I’m still not sure we got a rebound,” Monroe coach Chad Allen said. “Give Shawnee a lot of credit. They outplayed us. They were better prepared and better coached today. It’s just one of those games we’ll learn from and move on and hopefully not lose again.”

Jahsalyn Robinson and Sophie Sloneker scored 16 points apiece for Monroe, and Robinson snagged a team-high five rebounds. Shawnee had five players with at least that many boards — Lovely, Malorie Plaugher (seven), Brown (seven), Woodard (six) and Sims (five).

As bad as some of the statistics looked, the Hornets were still on the verge of winning. That says something about Monroe’s talent.

“The girls will hustle, they’ll face adversity,” Allen said. “When you come back from the start we had and get up 5 in the third quarter, you’ve got to understand what position you’re in and take great shots and keep up that intensity. Unfortunately, we let down a little bit.”

The Arrows overcame 19 turnovers in the Southwestern Buckeye League crossover game that doesn’t count in the league standings. Shawnee is 5-1 in the Buckeye Division, while the Hornets are 2-4 in the Southwestern Division.

“We can accomplish what we want, just keep getting the wins one game at a time,” Sims said. “(We can’t) let that get our heads big. Every game matters.”

Allen said his team will continue to grow with the addition of Wells-Daniels to the lineup.

“She’s so talented that we’ll adjust to it,” Allen said. “But like every change, it takes a little bit of time to adjust to what role everyone has and what’s happening next.”

Next for the Arrows is a home game Thursday against Carlisle. Monroe will travel to Valley View next Saturday.

Monroe 5-19-11-16—51

Preble Shawnee 17-9-12-17—55

MONROE (8-5): Kylee Slone 2 0 4, Sam Schwab 2 0 4, Sophie Sloneker 6 2 16, Jahsalyn Robinson 7 1 16, Olivia Wells-Daniels 1 2 4, Jade Gallagher 1 0 2, Erica Thompson 1 0 2, Alyssa Beckett 0 1 1, Rylen Carroll 1 0 2. Totals: 21-6-51

PREBLE SHAWNEE (10-2): Nicole Sims 2 6 12, Jenna Lovely 2 9 13, Brenna Woodard 2 2 8, Kaylie Campbell 2 1 6, Logan Hollon 0 1 1, Malorie Plaugher 1 5 7, Shelbie Brown 3 2 8. Totals: 12-26-55

3-pointers: M 3 (Sloneker 2, Robinson), P 5 (Sims 2, Woodard 2, Campbell)

About the Author