RESERVE STAYS ALIVE IN THE MVAC

BERLIN CENTER OH- The Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference (MVAC), both The Scarlet and Gray Division have presented themselves as a tough conference to come out of.

For the girls side of The Scarlet Division, that is no different! Going into Monday night, Waterloo (4-0) was leading followed by Springfield (5-1), Jackson Milton (4-1) with both McDonald (2-2) and Western Reserve (2-2) tied for fifth place.

Monday night was also round one of Jackson Milton versus Western Reserve, a rivalry that is deeply ingrained in some, it captivates what smaller school rivals are all about.

The band was out, and Western Reserve was ready for a party! From the tip, The Blue Jays started off with a 7-0 run, followed by a Blue Devil 6-0 run. A sign of what was to come for the remainder of the game.

In a night when offense was at a premium, and both teams clamped down extra hard on defense. Overall, it made the contest feel like an old-school, defensive battle all game.

The lead was exchanged multiple times between both teams; however, on a night when offensive buckets were hard to come by, foul trouble became the biggest story for The Lady Blue Jays.

As Jackson Milton had a few players in their limited roster get into foul trouble early, thus forcing them to play a less-physical brand of defense than they are accustomed to.

The biggest comparable statline? Free throw percentage. Where both teams had their fair share of opportunities, it was the better clip at the line for Reserve that made all the difference.

Brooke Schantz and The Lady Blue Devils took full advantage of that, getting themselves set up in both a single and double bonus opportunity in the second half.

With Schantz making up 17 of her team’s 43 points, including knocking down four clutch free throws to help ice it, and help earn her Player of the Game!

The Win for The Lady Blue Devils, paired with a Waterloo win over Springfield, has now created a log jam for second place in The MVAC Scarlet Division.

Now with Western Reserve, Jackson Milton, Springfield and McDonald all tied with 2 conference losses, it is shaping up to be a wild finish!

Jackson Milton will have another opportunity in the conference, as they go to Ram Country to take on Mineral Ridge (1-10) Thursday, January 13th.

Western Reserve will stay home, as they welcome Sebring (2-5) into Berlin Center for the first time in the new year. Also on Thursday, January 13th.

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

Postgame Interview With Steve Miller: