Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

WILLOW WOOD — It was a simple plan. Just take it one at a time.
The Symmes Valley Vikings made each possession count as they beat the Portsmouth Notre Dame Titans 65-44 in a Southern Ohio Conference game on Friday.
“The boys did a great job focusing on one possession at a time. We worked very hard and played good solid halfcourt defense,” said Vikings’ coach Chad Coffman.
“Symmes Valley’s culture is to work hard and be very tough which I felt like the boys did tonight.”
The Vikings (2-3, 1-3 had three players in double figures as Layken Gothard got 17 points, Nick Klaiber scored 14 and Hunter Adams added 12.
Adams also had nine rebounds and Gothard grabbed seven boards.
Miles Shipp scored a game-high 20 points for the Titans and ben Mader added nine.
The Vikings jumped in front 20-4 in the first quarter as Klaiber hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 10 points while Gothard got seven points and Alec Carpenter added a triple.
Adams had six points in the second quarter and it was 35-18 at the half.
Mader hit a pair of 3-pointers and Shipp scored six points for the Titans.
Jack Leith came off the bench to score five points in the third quarter while Gothard and Adams had four each and the lead grew to 51-29.
Coffman emptied his bench in the fourth quarter and the Vikings were 6-of-12 from the foul line.
Shipp scored eight points and Cole Harrrell hit a 3-pointer for the Titans.
The Vikings host Sciotoville East on Tuesday.
In the jayvee game, the Vikings won 45-28 as Jack Leith had 13 points, Scherer 10 and Chris Strow eight. Schipp had seven for the Titans.
Notre Dame    4    14    11    15    =    44
Sym. Valley    20    15    16    14    =    65
PORTSMOUTH NOTRE DAME (NA): Cole Harrell 0 1 0-0 3, Ben Mader 0 3 0-1 9, Miles Schipp 8 0 4-5 20, Jake McGuire 0 0 0-0 0, Caleb Tindall 0 0 0-0 0, Jackson Clark 2 0 4-6 8, Ehtan Kammer 0 0 0-0 0, Caleb Nichols 0 0 0-1 0, Gabe Pettay 0 0 0-0 0, Tyler Speas 1 0 2-4 4. Totals: 11 4 10-17 44. Fouls: 17. Fouled out: None.
SYMMES VALLEY (2-3, 1-3): Jacob Sites 0 0 1-2 1, DerikBrace 1 0 0-1 2, Justin White 0 0 1-2 1, Jack Leith 4 0 1-2 9, Michael Holschuh 0 0 1-2 1, Alec Carpenter 1 1 0-0 5, Nick Klaiber 4 2 0-0 14, Layken Gothard 5 2 0-0 16, Austin Mannon 0 0 1-2 1, Hunter Adams 4 0 4-6 12, Brock Carpenter 1 0 1-2 3. Totals: 20 5 10-19 65. Fouls: 16. Fouled out: None.