Staff Report

WELLSTON — For the first time in 32 years, the nets — and glass — belong to the Green Lady Bobcats.

The Lady Bobcats out-rebounded South Gallia to the tune of 51 to 26 and that key stat helped Green edge past the Lady Rebels for a thrilling 39-37 win and claim the district title on Saturday at Wellston High School.

It seemed as though Green would pull away late after Matti Hayslip sank a free throw to make it 39-34 with 41 seconds remaining. But a 3-pointer from Jacie Boothe on the ensuing possession cut the score to 39-37.

Green then missed two free throws, allowing South Gallia one final possession to either tie or win the game.

The Lady Rebels inbounded the ball under their basket with 7 seconds left, but had trouble getting a handle on the ball, forcing Sharla Hammond to take a desperation 3-pointer that rattled out. Then Madison Summers got a chance at a put back along the lowblock but her shot was off the mark as the clock hit zeros and the Green players exploded off the bench to celebrate.

“I think it was a huge key keeping them off the boards,” said Green coach Melissa Knapp. “They’re big as well — I mean Emma Clary is absolutely one of the best post players in District 13.”

The Lady Rebels came into the game looking to apply a lot of pressure in the back court and did so from the outset of the game. And the defensive game plan worked as South Gallia was able to force Green into 25 turnovers.’

And South Gallia (19-6) used that advantage in the early moments of the second quarter when Clary scored on a driving layup to take a 13-8 lead.

But those turnovers were offset by Green’s (22-1) ability to control the boards and limiting second chance points.

Knapp scored 5 points in the second, including a put back with 26 seconds left to give Green a 18-16 lead at the break. Hayslip scored just 2 points in the quarter, but her driving layup was the spark for the scoring run.

“I just thought to myself just shoot and they’ll go in eventually,” said Hayslip. “If they don’t keep shooting and keep doing my defense because that’s what wins games.”

Hayslip came up with plenty of clutch baskets , including three 3-pointers. Hayslip also made an impact on the defensive end with 6 steals to lead the team.

Green was able to out-rebound South Gallia 18-5 in the second quarter and much of that success came from sophomore Abbie Knapp who hauled in a game-high 23 rebounds and also scored a game-high 16 points.

“I get a lot of rebounds sometimes, I’m not gonna lie. But I knew rebounding would be a key to the game tonight and just rebounding and get the ball up the floor,” said Knapp. “As the game kept going, the shots were going in and the rebounding made the difference.”

Another key rebounder for Green was McBee. The freshman forward came off the bench to pull down 7 rebounds and some of those came at key times when Knapp wasn’t able to.

McBee also chipped in 8 points, but the freshman knew she needed to step up and help inside.

“I just zoned everyone out. I know that Abbie usually gets the majority of the rebounds and I knew that I had to help her because there were a lot of other good rebounders for the other team,” said McBee.

In the third, the Lady Bobcats fell behind 26-25 after Clary scored on a drive down the baseline for a pair of her 15 points on the night.

But Green retook the lead for good when McBee drew a foul on the other end and sank a free throw and then followed with a layup on the baseline.

The Lady Bobcats were able stretch their lead out to 34-27 with 4:02 remaining in the game when Knapp dished the ball off to Hayslip and the sophomore guard buried a triple.

Ryleigh Shafer would get the Rebels back to within a possession with back-to-back scores with over a minute left and set up the final moments.

South Gallia 11 5 9 12 = 37

Green.         8 10 8 13 = 39

SOUTH GALLIA (19-6): Rhyleigh Shaffer 3 0 2-4 8, Lyla Sawin 0 0 0-0 0, Madison Summers 1 0 0-0 2, Emma Clary 5 1 2-3 15, Jacie Booth 0 1 0-0 3, Sharla Hammond 0 0 0-0 0, Sydni Hornsby 0 3 0-0 9, Sharla Hammond 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 6 5-11 43. Rebounds: 11-O, 15-D = 26 (E. Clary 8, Summers 5, Shafer 3). Assists: 7 (Shafer 2, Boothe 2). Steals: 16 (E. Clary 4, Hornsby 4, Shaffer 3, Hammond 3). Blocks: 2 (Hammond 1, E. Clary 1). Turnovers: 14. Fouls: 18. Fouled out: None.

GREEN (22-1): Addison Blizzard 0 0 0-0 0, Mylee Hunt 0 0 0-0 0, Elizabeth McBee 2 1 1-2 8, Mylee Brown 0 0 1-4 1, Ava Abrams 0 0 0-0 0, Matti Hayslip 2 3 1-2 14, Abbie Knapp 4 1 5-8 16. Totals: 8 5 8-16 39. Rebounds: 19-O, 32-D = 51 (Knapp 23, McBee 7, Abrams 6, Hayslip 4). Assists: 8 (Hayslip 6, Hunt 2). Steals: 10 (Knapp 4, Brown 3). Turnovers: 25. Fouls: 9. Fouled out: None.