Valley’s Ally Weber looks to drive on a Cameron defender during a game with Cameron. The Lumberjills finished in third place in the Class A tournament

The Valley Lumberjills gave the Class A OVAC second seed Beallsville Lady Blue Devils all they could handle Feb. 9, but couldn’t contain the hot-shooting Alyssa Headley. Headley scored 35 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as the #2 Blue Devils advanced to the OVAC title game against #1 Bishop Donahue for the OVAC Class A crown.

After falling behind 21-13 after one period of play, the Lumberjills stayed with the mighty Blue Devils in the second period and were down only nine points heading into the locker room.

When the game resumed, the Devils’ Headley put her team on her back and willed it to a commanding 17 point advantage after three periods of play.

But, the ‘Jills wouldn’t quit and played right with the Lady Devils the rest of the way. Aly Weber and Brittany Guthrie each netted 19 points, while Lesta Kocher tallied 11 markers to pace the Lumberjill scoring.

Other ‘Jills to dent the scoreboard included Lauren Ueltschy, who added five points; Hannah Shaw with four markers; and Tiffany Hayes with two.

Valley 59,

Cameron 48

Four Lady ‘Jills scored in double figures to help Valley slay the Lady Dragons, 59-48 Feb. 5 in the OVAC Class A consolation third place matchup Feb. 20 on the Lady Dragons’ floor.

After falling behind 11-8 after the first eight minutes of play, the Valley girls answered Cameron’s challenge with a 19-9 run in the second period to take a 27-20 lead to the break.

But, the Lady Dragons outscored the ‘Jills 21-15 in the third to pull to within one point heading into the deciding fourth period.

The ‘Jills got into a rhythm and outscored their hosts 17-7 during the fourth period to gain the nod. Valley picked up the defensive intensity and limited the Dragons to seven points in the last eight minutes of action.

Lesta Kocher tallied 17 markers to lead a balanced attack. Tiffany Hayes scored 16 points, including one bucket from beyond the arc, while Aly Weber and Brittany Guthrie added 10 points each. Lauren Ueltschy contributed nine points for all the Lumberjill scoring.

Shelby Wood paced the Lady Dragons with 16 points.

Buckeye Local 56,

Magnolia 45

Magnolia jumped out to a 13-10 advantage after one period of play in round one of the OVAC consolation tournament, but Buckeye Local fought back to outscore their hosts 46-32 to claim a 56-45 victory.

Tincy Haught and Padyn Ludewig paced the Eagles with 13 and 11 points, respectively, while Abby Harlan netted eight. Lindsay Riggs scored five points for Magnolia, while Marissa Bosley and Corinne Murdock each netted three markers. Dallas Mullett and Lindsay Cain contributed two points a piece for the 4-14 Lady Blue Eagles.

Magnolia will now face the Lady Bruins of Brooke High School Thursday, Feb. 12 in round two of the OVAC tournament in Bruin territory.

Magnolia 68,

Brooke 40

In the consolation pool, the Magnolia Blue Eagles knocked off the homestanding Brooke High School Lady Bruins, 68-40 Feb. 12 .

The Eagles took a 19-7 lead after one period of play and held off a Lady Bruin rally in the second period for a 28-19 advantage at the break. The Eagles would outscore the Bruins 40-21 in the second half for their fifth win of the season.

Corinne Murdock led all scorers with 20 points, while Padyn Ludewig contributed 14 points and made 8-10 free throws. Marissa Bosley also scored in double figures with 12 points, while Tincy Haught netted eight points and hauled in 16 rebounds.

Abby Harlan scored two buckets, while Lindsay Riggs netted 4-4 from the charity stripe. Tori Tharp and Dallas Mullett each contributed two points for the Eagles.

Magnolia had a very good game at the charity stripe, netting 20-27 free throws.

River 48,

Wheeling Central 43

The Lady Pilots, fresh off the OVAC cheerleading conquest of Wheeling Central in the Class AA, finished the job by nipping the Lady Maroon Knights 48-43 in overtime for the sweep.

The two teams were deadlocked at 7-7 after eight minutes of play, but the Knights fought back to take a 18-14 lead at the break.

The Lady Pilots outscored their guests 17-8 to take a 31-26 lead heading into the fourth period. However, Central came storming back to force overtime, where the Pilots took care of business to get the nod.

Megan O’Neill tallied 11 markers to lead the Pilots, while Jordan Ramsay and Alexa Isaly evenly divided 20 markers to help the homestanding Pilots defeat Central twice in two days. Erica Williams tallied nine points for the hosts, while Epic Wayts and Whitney Hammel added five and two points, respectively.

Kara DeSantas swished the nets four times from beyond the arc to pace the Lady Knights with 17 points.

Barnesville 48,

River 46

Lady Pilot Jordan Ramsay tallied 14 points, including four threeballs, but it wasn’t enough, as River fell 48-46 to the Barnesville Lady Shamrocks in the consolation game of the OVAC Feb. 13 at Barnesville.

The Lady Pilots fell behind early, but fought back to take the a 25-22 lead at the break and had a one point lead late in the fourth period when Barnesville’s Jessica Hunkle swished the cords from beyond the arc with 17 seconds remaining in regulation to seal the victory. The Lady Pilots missed several opportunities to wither win the game or send it into overtime.

Ramsay’s 14 points paced the Pilots, while Alexa Isaly followed up with nine points, including a triple. Epic Wayts, Erica Williams and Megan O’Neil chipped in with seven, six and five points, respectively, while Desi Hinkle and Emily Griffith added three and two points, respectively.

Heidi Hines paced the Shamrocks with 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

St. John 50,

Paden City 26

On Feb. 9, the Paden City Lady Wildcats picked the worst night of the season to score their lowest point total of the season in a 50-26 OVAC Consolation loss to Bellaire St. John.

Alli Bertozzi was the lone double digit scorer for the Wildcats with 14 points, and 14 rebounds, while Shauna Durant, Courtney Conaway and Amanda Tallman each contributed four points.

Toronto 49,

Paden City 40

The Paden City Lady Wildcats lost to Toronto 49-40 in the OVAC girls’ basketball consolation tournament Feb. 14 at Toronto.

Alli Bertozzi contributed her customary double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds, while Courtney Conaway added seven markers in the Wildcat cause. Sasha Newson and Shauna Durant each netted four points, as did Amanda Tallman.

In the junior varsity game, the Lady ‘Cats lost 31-19 as German exchange student Johanna Simon scored the game’s final points at the buzzer. Erica Sapp led the Wildcats with six markers, while Amber Palmer netted four.

The PC varsity girls start their sectional tournament against the St. Marys Lady Blue Devils at St. Marys High School Saturday, Feb. 21 at 12 p.m.