Eastern takes season-opener vs MT, 55-49

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On a quite cold Friday before Thanksgiving, the Miami Trace Lady Panthers began the 2022-23 basketball season with a home game against the Warriors of Eastern High School.

Miami Trace had to play from behind in this game and was able to play with a lead in the second, third and fourth quarters.

However, it was just a little too much of Eastern senior Rylee Leonard, who poured in a game-high 34 points as the Warriors outlasted the Panthers, 55-49.

Senior Hillery ‘Bean’ Jacobs led Miami Trace with 17 points and shared the team lead with 11 rebounds.

Junior Jessee Stewart scored 10 points, senior Hillary McCoy scored nine points and had 11 rebounds and sophomore Nevaeh Lyons scored nine points.

Senior Mallory Lovett and freshman Ryleigh Vincent each had two points.

Senior Sarah Clark scored eight for Eastern.

Miami Trace led 48-47 with 2:16 to play in the game.

Turnovers were hurtful to Miami Trace as they committed five in the final two minutes, four of those coming with less than one minute to play.

Eastern led 13-9 at the end of the first quarter.

Miami Trace tied the game, 15-15 with two free throws from Stewart.

The Lady Panthers took their first lead of the game on a basket from McCoy with 3:17 to play in the first half.

At the break, Miami Trace was in front, 22-17.

Midway through the third quarter, a three-point shot by Stewart gave Miami Trace what would be its biggest lead of the game, 31-21.

Leonard was carrying most of the load for Eastern, scoring 11 points in the third quarter.

Miami Trace led 36-34 after three complete.

Eleven might be a good number for Leonard as she scored 11 more points in the fourth quarter.

Miami Trace led 40-39, but Leonard had a bucket, then a steal and another score as Eastern went back into the lead.

Jacobs went 2 of 2 from the foul line to make it 46-45, Miami Trace.

The teams traded the lead three more times, with the advantage ending up in favor of the visitors.

“Rylee Leonard is a really nice player,” Miami Trace second year head coach Kayla Dettwiller said. “She’s a four-year starter for them. She can find ways to score and that’s what good players do, whether they’re going downhill, whether they’re shooting a three-pointer. She’s got a motor — she was in sixth gear from the first quarter to the fourth quarter. She functions at a high speed.

“I’m really proud of the way (our) team played,” Dettwiller said. “They played as a team tonight. They shared the ball really well.

“Down the stretch they really wanted to bring the ball down the floor fast and that’s where we got some of those untimely turnovers,” Dettwiller said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have any help defense back at those times and it kind of didn’t fall our way at the end.

“The girls fought extremely hard tonight,” Dettwiller said. “They followed the game plan that we’ve been working on. Everything that we worked on in practice, they were executing. I’m really proud of the way they performed tonight.

“Later on in the season, this is going to be one of those games that helps us in some of those tough games,” Dettwiller said.

Miami Trace will play at Dayton Stivers Saturday. It is a varsity only contest, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Eastern is back in action Monday with a home game against Whiteoak.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

MT 9 13 14 13 — 49

E 13 4 17 21 — 55

MIAMI TRACE — Ellie Robinette 0-0-0; Hillary McCoy 2 (1)-2-9; Sue Morris 0-0-0; Jessee Stewart 0 (2)-4-10; Nevaeh Lyons 0 (2)-3-9; Zoey Grooms 0-0-0; Mallory Lovett 1-0-2; Hillery Jacobs 4 (1)-6-17; Ryleigh Vincent 1-0-2. TOTALS — 8 (6)-15-49. Free throw shooting: 15 of 22 for 68 percent. Three-point field goals: Stewart, 2; Lyons, 2; McCoy, Jacobs. Field goal shooting: 14 of 51 for 27 percent. Three-point field goal shooting: 6 of 21 for 29 percent. Rebounds: 29 (13 offensive) Turnovers: 20. Assists: 10. Steals: 11. Fouls: 18.

EASTERN — Jenna Mobley 0-0-0; McKenzie Dotson 1-3-5; Taylor Smith 2-0-4; Rylee Leonard 7 (3)-11-34; Emmalee Belmont 0-0-0; Tabby Schumacher 2-0-4; Emma Litziner 0-0-0; Clara Martin 0-0-0; Sarah Clark 2-4-8. TOTALS — 14 (3)-18-55. Free throw shooting: 18 of 29 for 62 percent. Three-point field goals: Leonard, 3. Field goal shooting: 17 of 39 for 44 percent. Three-point field goal shooting: 3 of 11 for 27 percent. Offensive rebounds: 10. Turnovers: 18.

MT wins j-v game against Eastern

In the j-v game Friday, Miami Trace defeated Eastern, 24-15.

Bella Shull was the game’s leading scorer for Miami Trace with 13 points. She had one three-point field goal.

Mya Babineau scored eight points for Miami Trace, Cali Kirkpatrick had two points and Kamika Bennett scored one.

Madison Gould led Eastern with five points. Vivian Grimes and Alysia Johnston each had four points and Annie Grimes scored two.

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