Sports Editor
The New Richmond girls’ basketball team rung in 2019 with a defensive display at home against Felicity on Wednesday, January 2, holding the Lady Cardinals to just five first-half points in what turned in to a 53-19 victory.
The team set the tone early, jumping ahead 9-0 in the first quarter. They finished the first period with a 15-3 advantage. Head coach Thomas Wessner said New Richmond had spent the first few practices back from winter break looking to improve on the defensive side of the court.
“We’ve had a long break, we’ve had a lot of days off,” Wessner said. “The last two days we got back, that’s something we really focused on. It really showed tonight.”
New Richmond kept up the defensive pressure in the second quarter, holding the Lady Cardinals to just two points in the period to take a 23-5 lead into halftime. The Lady Lions tacked on 30 more points in the second half.
“We worked on hitting gaps,” Wessner said. “We did a lot of zone work the last few days, and it showed on the court.”
Allie Bird led all scorers in the game with 10 points for New Richmond. Hailey Kramer added 9, with Maci Baca chipping in 7 points. In all, 11 players scored in the game for New Richmond. Wessner said getting players involved off the bench will only help the team in the long run.
“You’re going to get people that are sick,” Wessner said. “You’re going to get people that are hurt. Some people are going to have to step up and play a role that they’re not used to playing, you have to get them minutes when you can.”
Felicity’s Madison Baird finished with 7 points to lead the Lady Cardinals. Elise Botkin tallied 6 points, while Jordan Lowe and Madison Moore both finished with 3.
Other scores from around the area:
Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference
Boys Varsity Basketball
Mariemont 67, Clermont Northeastern 45
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Eastern Cincinnati Conference
Girls Varsity Basketball
Oak Hills 40, Turpin 26
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Boys Varsity Basketball
West Clermont 48, Springboro 41