Padyn Ludewig

The Magnolia Lady Blue Eagles picked up their first home victory on Friday, Jan. 9, 59-40, when they hosted the Lady Rebels of Ritchie County.

Senior Tincy Haught seemed to be back to her old self, as she posted a double-double 13 points and 11 boards on the night.Early in the game, the team’s exchanged buckets, but Haught added a free throw to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead. They once again exchanged buckets, but the lead went to the Lady Rebels, 7-5. Ritchie drained a free throw, but Haught outdid them by hitting two free throws of her own.

The Rebels then got six of the last 10 points of the first quarter to take a 14-11 lead after one. Haught had all 11 Eagle points in the first quarter.

The teams exchanged buckets early in the second to push the score to 20-17, Ritchie. The Eagles’ buckets came from freshman Dallas Mullett, senior Corinne Murdock, and freshman Abby Harlan. The Rebels then got the next five points to make the score 25-17. But Murdock and Harlan each scored a deuce to make it 25-21 at the half in favor of the Lady rebels.

The Eagles turned the ball over 11 times in the first half.

When play resumed in the third, Murdock got a bucket sandwiched between two Rebel buckets and that’s when the Eagles started getting hot. Payden Ludewig scored a bucket and a free throw, then drove to the hoop where she was fouled in the act. At the line, Ludewig made good on the first before Ritchie called a time out. When the game resumed, Ludewig drained the second free throw to shrink the score to 29-28, Rebels.

Then it was freshman Jordan Babe for a bucket to push the Lady Eagles ahead 30-29. The Rebels then reclaimed the lead with a bucket from inside, but the Eagles got the next seven points to go up 37-31. Ludewig got a twoball, followed by a free throw from Lindsay Riggs. Then Ludewig drained two more free throws. A Rebel bucket brought the third quarter to an end, 43-33, Eagles.

The fourth period was once again Ludewig’s time to shine, scoring all but four points in the period, including the first six. That gave the Eagles the lead, 49-43 with 5:08 remaining in regulation. Mullett then got another bucket, when it went back to Ludewig for two. The Rebels landed a deuce, which was followed by a Ludewig twoball and a free throw to give Magnolia a comfortable lead, 53-38. Ludewig then got the next four points before a Rebel two, which was followed by a bucket from freshman Marissa Bosley to end the game.

Ludewig paced Magnolia’s scoring with 22 markers, all in the second half; Bosley and Babe contributed two each, Mullett scored four points; and Harlan zipped up six markers.

In other good news from this night, the girls JV team picked up its second win, 37-15, over their counterparts from Ritchie County.

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The Lady Eagles hosted the Wheeling Central Lady Maroon Knights Jan. 4 and held a 19-7 lead after one. But, Magnolia managed to score only 24 points the rest of the way, as the Knights scored 42 to take down the Eagles 49-45.

The Eagles controlled the tip and quickly got a two from Harlan. Haught canned a two to make it 4-1, Eagles. Ludewig then added two when the Knights called a time out. When play resumed, Haught, Ludewig, and Murdock each landed two to give the Eagles a 12-2 lead.

Ludewig added two more points when the Maroon finally got its first bucket of the game from the floor, with 1:30 to go in the period. Haught added two more points to make it two 16-4, Eagles. Ludewig hit a bucket and a free throw, followed by a Knights’ free throw to make it 19-7 after one.

In the second, the teams swapped baskets twice to make the score 23-11, Eagles. Ludewig then made good on a free throw, but the Knights answered with a deuce to cut the Magnolia advantage to 24-15.

Following a Magnolia time out, Riggs canned a basket to raise the Lady Eagle advantage to 26-15. The Knights zipped in a threeball and followed it by two free throws to narrow the gap to 26-20. Haught came back with two, but the Knights responded with two buckets and a free throw to make it 28-25, Magnolia. After Magnolia added a deuce and a free throw, the Lady Eagles went to the break holding a 31-25 advantage,

The Knights started the third quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 37-35 lead, their first lead of the game. Ludewig got a free throw and Murdock followed with a two to cut the Knight lead to 39-38. With a Ludewig two, the Lady Eagles reclaimed the lead, 40-39, after three to set up a very exciting fourth quarter.

A Knights two and a Murdock free throw tied the game up at 41-41. Ludewig scored a basket to hold onto the lead, 43-41. However, Central scored eight of the last 10 points in regulation, interrupted only by a Ludewig deuce, to prevail 49-45.

Ludewig paced the Lady Eagle scoring with 20 points that included 4-7 on free throws. Haught added 10 markers and Murdock contributed nine points. Riggs and Harlan combined for six points to complete Magnolia’s scoring.

Central landed 11 threeballs during the game, but shot only 7-36 from the floor in the first half.

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The Eagles were supposed to play the Lady Red Riders of Weir on Saturday, Jan. 10. But the game was postponed because of bad weather up north and has been re-scheduled for Jan. 22 with the JV start at 5:45 p.m.