FLASHES GIVE THEIR SENIORS A WIN
CHAMPION, OH – Sometimes dominant doesn’t say enough to describe the performance of a team and oh boy did Thursday’s game against Liberty fit into that category for Champion. With the exception of a slower start the Golden Flashes scored often and on command in their 59-16 stomping of the Leopards on senior night.
Quarter one went nearly 2 minutes before someone found the hoop but once Kayla Haynie sunk a long 3 for Champion, you could tell it was going to be their night and the aftermath that followed backed that up as Champion put up 21 to Liberty’s 4 points. The first point of the night for Liberty came later in the quarter with Amari Franklin hitting the second of 2 free throws, Mia Parker found a nice 3 through a crowd as well. Seniors Kayla Haynie and Bella Meyer both excelled from beyond the arc all night and they both found their first two 3’s all from well beyond the arc at near professional range.
Things didn’t get much better for the Leopards in the 2nd, with only 5 points scored their offense couldn’t get much past the Golden flashes defense and their defense was no match for Champion’s stellar offense as the home squad outscored Liberty 19-5 in the frame. Franklin and Parker continued to score with Franklin finding 3 more points with a 2 and going 1-for-2 at the stripe and Parker finding 2 in the paint. Haynie and Meyer continued their onslaught with Haynie scoring 8 more points with two 3’s and a 2 and Meyer hitting two more deep 3’s.
The second half went by in the blink of an eye thanks to the running clock rule and the results of the 3rd came out with Champion out scoring Liberty 12-2. Mia Parker found a layup for Liberty but Champion saw Kennedy Caldwell pick up production with 5 points from a 2 and a 3 while Carlie Easterday scored 4 points with 1 of 2 made free throws and an impressive 3.
The 4th quarter ended up being the closest frame of basketball we would see all night and that’s due in part to Champion and Liberty sitting most of their starters and letting the youth show what they got and that quarter resulted in Champion scoring 7-5 over Liberty. Franklin added 2 more points and finished with 6 points while Amari Brown found a nice 3. Bella Meyer found 3 more points while Easterday hit two 2’s to add 4 more points to her night.
The Golden Flashes showed everyone exactly why they’re in 2nd place in their division, strong shooting and lockdown defense have been keys to their success not just in this game but all season long. Mia Parker led the Leopards with 7 points while seniors Kayla Haynie (17), Bella Meyer (15) and Carlie Easterday (12) led the Golden Flashes in scoring. The leopards (3-16, 2-10) will be back at home to take on Campbell Memorial on February 5th at 7:30PM while Champion (15-5, 11-2) will hit the road to take on Newton Falls on February 5th at 7:00PM.
