Magnolia played host to Valley high school on Monday night, January 30, in New Martinsville in an OVAC girls basketball game. The Blue Eagles sporting a 7-10 record improved to 8-10 on the season with their second win of the season 66-41 over the now 8-10 Lumberjills.

The home team jumped out to a 16-9 first quarter lead led by a pair of buckets each from Mallory McDiffitt and Lauren Gaiser and a 3-pointer from Shaela Holliday. Valley got five points, including a 3-pointer from Laken Dawson in the first quarter. The next eight minutes was a close one with Magnolia gaining two points 15-13 to go into the locker room up nine 31-22. Valley’s Winter Higgins kept the Lumberjills in the game with nine points in the frame. However the Blue got five points from their standout guard Jenna Blain, including a 3-pointer and four from Gaiser to help them increase their lead.

Following the halftime break, the two squads played even in the third with 12 points each and Valley still in the game. However the last eight minutes told the story as the Blue Eagles cranked it up a notch holding the Lumberjills without a field goal and only seven points, while pouring in 23 of their own to get the win running away. Valley managed to get to the free throw line 17 times in the final eight but only cashed in on seven, while the winners received 13 markers from Blain, including her second three of the night to end as the games leading scorer with 22.

Backing up Blain was Gaiser with nine, while Makia Litton, McDiffitt, and Abby Warder all contributed eight points and Holliday added seven. Sienna McKeever and Erika Perry both hit for two to cap off the Blue Eagle scoring.

Valley received a team high 12 points from Higgins, with Laken Dawson adding nine. Michaela Miller and Charity Bates each hit for five points, while Harli Rush added four, Andrea Thomas and Eva Booher hit two each, and Cheyanne Higgins got a free throw. The Lumber jills hit 13 shots from the floor and went 15-29 from the free throw line.

Magnolia made 23 field goals, including a trio of 3’s and made 15-25 from the charity stripe.