Sidney senior guard Kiara Hudgins shoots with pressure from Centerville’s Leona Ciarlariello during a nonconference game on Thursday in Sidney. Hudgins scored 11 points, including eight in the second half.
Bryant Billing | Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY — Sidney junior Larkyn Vordemark didn’t shy away from identifying one big problem in trying to pull away from Centerville on Thursday: turnovers.
“We moved the ball, kept the ball in and didn’t turn it over as much,” Vordemark said with a grin. “That kind of started with me.”
While Vordemark made several turnovers, she and her teammates didn’t late. After Centerville tied it late in the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets scored 11 straight points to pull away in a 44-38 win over the Elks.
It was the last nonconference game of the season for Sidney (11-3), which lost 51-49 to Centerville in a district semifinal last year.
“We had to get our get-back, no matter what,” Vordemark said.
Sidney led all through Thursday’s game but couldn’t pull away from Centerville (9-5) until the fourth quarter. Both teams had long scoring droughts, but none was longer than the Elks’ eight-minute long drought over the last two minutes of the third and first six minutes of the fourth.
“That’s a testament to our defense,” Sidney coach Jamal Foster said. “Going through a period like that where it’s tough to score, our pride on the defensive end of the floor allowed them not to score at all.
“It was a gritty game that our girls desperately wanted. They were tough. You can tell they wanted to win it.”
Vordemark led Sidney in scoring for the second consecutive night. She scored 15 points and brought down seven rebounds against the Elks after having scored 19 points and having brought down a team-high 10 rebounds in a 43-21 win over Greenville on Wednesday.
It was a physical game throughout Thursday evening. Junior guard Jordan Scully played through a twisted ankle, and Vordemark twisted her ankle in the third quarter.
“It was wild,” Foster said of both of the squad’s leading scorers twisting ankles. “But this is a game we wanted. There is no expiration date on get-back.”
Sidney led 27-22 at halftime, but the Elks tied it 31-31 after a basket by Caroline McDowell with a little over two minutes left in the third quarter.
Sidney controlled the next eight minutes.
Kiara Hudgins scored on a fast break with 1:11 left to break the tie, then scored on a shot off the glass with 39 seconds left to give Sidney a four-point lead heading into the fourth.
Sidney junior forward Kelis McNeal had assists on both baskets. On the fast break, Hudgins, who had struggled scoring on drives due to Centerville’s size, passed to McNeal near the top of the key. McNeal drove inside and then passed back to Hudgins, who was open and made a layup.
Hudgins, a senior guard, finished with 11 points, six rebounds and four steals. She scored 14 points and had six rebounds and three steals on Wednesday.
“Ki is always trying to make the right play, but sometimes, she is our right play. Her motor, her skill. She’s the biggest difference maker we have,” Foster said. “She’s got the heart of a champion. We lean on her in those moments, and when we lean on her, we respond, because she responds.
“I’m very proud of Ki. This is a marquee win for her as a senior, and everything she’s been through. She is our leader for a reason.”
Scully scored five points and Hudgins added another basket in the fourth to help in Sidney’s 11-0 run. Scully hadn’t made a field goal since the first quarter and didn’t score against Greenville on Wednesday, and Foster credited her for staying confident and shooting in the fourth.
“She twisted her ankle in the first quarter and tried to go through the entire game not being 100 percent,” Foster said. “To see a couple of those shots go through was great. She battled. She showed no quit. She gave it everything she had out there.”
Centerville missed several shots over its scoring drought and didn’t shoot well throughout Thursday’s game. But the Elks got many second- and third-chance looks in the first three quarters.
Sidney rebounded better in the fourth, and Foster credited junior forward Kendall Dickman and freshman forward Olivia Foy for helping in the effort.
“Unsung heroes,” Foster said. “Kendall Dickman doesn’t get many points on the board, but she fights. Olivia got some key rebounds towards the end. Ki comes in there and snatches a few rebounds or gets her hands on top of it. Kelis always goes hard for it.
“Making plays when it matters is huge. It doesn’t have to be a bucket. Game-winning plays. I feel like we made some down the stretch. …I feel like we showed some poise down the stretch. We struggled at that at the beginning of the year, and we’re understanding the value of time down the stretch when you have the lead.”
Scully finished with 11 points. McNeal scored five points and brought down seven rebounds.
Sidney is scheduled to travel to Troy (4-9) for a Miami Valley League game on Saturday.
Fort Loramie ranked No. 1 in D-IV in first state poll
Fort Loramie (13-1) was ranked No. 1 in Division IV in the first Associated Press state poll of the season.
The Redskins received four of nine first-place votes, one more than No. 2 Berlin Hiland (10-0).
Three of Fort Loramie’s opponents were ranked in polls, and one other (St. Henry) received votes. Two of those opponents, Miami East and Ottawa-Glandorf, were ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in Division III.
Fort Loramie beat Anna 41-19 in a Shelby County Athletic League game on Tuesday. Summer Hoying scored 12 points and had eight rebounds and four steals. Avery Brandewie scored nine points and had nine rebounds, five steals and four blocks.
The Redskins are scheduled to travel to Berlin Hiland on Saturday for the Classic in the Country. They’ll face Thornville Sheridan (10-0) at noon.
Odds and ends
Russia scored a season-high 56 points in a 14-point win over Jackson Center on Tuesday. The Raiders (5-7) are scheduled to face Findlay Liberty-Benton on Monday in the Versailles Tiger Classic. … Anna’s 41-19 loss to Fort Loramie on Tuesday was the first time since a 32-17 loss to New Knoxville on Dec. 11, 2021 that it failed to reach 20 points. … Fairlawn broke an 11-game losing streak with a 52-44 win over Waynesfield-Goshen last Saturday.
Reach Bryant Billing at 937-538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter and @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook.
