CHESAPEAKE — The Chesapeake Lady Panthers used a stout defensive effort and a strong offensive showing from Abbey Issacs to knock off the West Union Lady Dragons 43-32 in the opening round of the Ohio Division 5 girls basketball tournament on Wednesday night.

Going into the game, Chesapeake coach Chris Ball knew the Lady Dragons were going to be a challenge for his team.

“(West Union) caught our attention. They had some girls who could score. Staten was a 1,000-point, so we had to get a hand in her face,” said coach Ball. “Defensively, I felt like we locked them down pretty good.”

The Lady Panthers were able to set the tone in the first quarter, forcing the Lady Dragons into 9 turnovers and forcing contested shots.

“I thought our press caused them some problems, few turnovers. It sped them up,” said coach Ball.

Another key to the Lady Panthers’ success on defense came from senior Erin Hicks.

Hicks was tasked with defending West Union’s 1,000-point scorer Ashlah Staten. The senior guard was up to the task, holding Staten to just 2 points from the foul line.

On the offensive end, Chesapeake was sparked by the play of junior Abbey Issacs.

Issacs opened the game up with a pair of dribble-drives for buckets and a three from behind the arc, helping the Lady Panthers take a 12-6 lead into the second quarter.

Issacs finished the night with 19 points, a game-high 9 rebounds and 3 steals to lead the Lady Panthers in the stat column. Ciera Nichols added 9, Hicks added 4, and Sara Dillon had 2.

“I usually get a bunch of rebounds because I’m the person that’s supposed to be down low. So I just drive past them and get low with my shoulders,” said Issacs. “I love rebounding. I’m trying to get to 500.”

“Abbey is very capable of doing that every game,” said Ball. “I thought she played well.”

Kate Ball, who was battling the flu all game, hit a triple in the opening frame.

Ball’s illness hindered her from being effective offensively, finishing with just 9 points on the night. But the senior credited her teammates for stepping up.

“I’m so proud of my team. They helped my energy stay up even though I was sick,” said Ball. “We won, so that’s all that matters.”

In the second, the Lady Panthers (12-11) put the clamps down on West Union, allowing just one field goal in the quarter. The Lady Dragons lone basket came at the 6:42 mark when Annabelle McIntosh hit a long-range jumper from just inside the 3-point line to make the score 15-8.

Hicks led Chesapeake in scoring during the second with a triple to kickoff the quarter and a free throw. Nichols added a 3-pointer and Issacs sank two free throws to help give the Lady Panthers a 21-9 lead at the break.

West Union (11-12) made a push to get back in the game during the third, outscoring the Lady Panthers 12-11. A baseline jumper from Madison Stout cut Chesapeake’s lead down to 7 with 2:00 remaining in the third frame, marking the closest the Lady Dragons had been since the first quarter.

But Chesapeake answered when Issacs drove again to the basket, shook the defender with a head fake and laid in another basket. Then Nichols hit a jumper from the left wing as time expired to give Chesapeake a 32-21 lead after three.

In the fourth quarter, Ball led the Lady Panthers with 4 points from the foul line. Nichols added 4 points with a runout layup on an assist from Hicks and made two free throws.

Issacs added another 3 points to her total as Chesapeake coasted the rest of the way to the win.

The Lady Panthers move on to the district semifinals where they will face Minford on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at Waverly’s Downtown Arena. Tip-off is set for 6:15 p.m.

West Union 6 3 12 9 = 32

Chesapeake 12 9 11 11 = 43

WEST UNION (11-12): Ashlah Staten 1 1 2-2 5, Madison Stout 1 0 2-2 4, Olivia Lewis 1 1 2-6 5, Shelby Weakley 2 0 0-0 4, Annabelle McIntosh 3 2 1-2 9, Violet Randolph 1 0 0-0 2, Emily Stapleton 0 0 0-0 0, Jocelyn Hall 1 0 0-0 2, Kaydence Cook 0 0 0-0 0, Madison White 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 9 4 7-12 32. Assists: 5 (Stout 3, Weakley 1, McIntosh 1). Steals: 13 (Lewis 3, McIntosh 3, Staten 2, Hall 2, Stout 2). Fouls: 16. Fouled out: Lewis (4th, 3:39).

CHESAPEAKE (12-11): Sara Dillon 1 0 0-0 2, Erin Hicks 1 0 1-2 4, Abbey Isaacs 5 1 8-13 19, Kate Ball 2 1 4-4 9, Ciera Nichols 3 1 2-2 9, Chloe Parrot 0 0 0-0 0, Clairynn Romans 0 0 0-0 0, Abby Mitchell 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 12 3 15-21 43. Assists: 5 (Hicks 3, Ball 2). Steals: 13 (Ball 4, Issacs 3, Nichols 3). Fouls: 12. Fouled out: None.