Photos by Steven Wright | Greene County News
Bellbrook junior Jordan Frantz (right) looks for space against the incoming Ross defense. Frantz had 14 points and was the spark to help the Golden Eagles pick up a 52-45 win during Thursday’s home game.
Bellbrook sophomore Zoe Howard drives to the basket against Ross.
With 22 points against Ross, Bellbrook senior Taylor Scohy met her average for the season, which leads all players in the SWBL.
Bellbrook sophomore Ainsley Gregory gets up a three during the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game.
Bellbrook senior Taylor Scohy (center) holds up a souvenir basketball as she is joined by her teammates in celebration of scoring her 1,000th career point for the Golden Eagles.
BELLBROOK — Ross proved it was ready for the task it faced during the first half of Thursday’s early season SWBL showdown.
Bellbrook in the second half showed why they are the three-time defending league champions.
The Golden Eagles overcame a halftime deficit with a big third quarter run to build a lead it wouldn’t relinquish to pull out a 52-45 home win.
Allowing more points during the first half Thursday than it had averaged for all four quarters of its first three wins, Bellbrook turned the tide by limiting Ross to just four points in the third quarter.
“Lanie Lipps came out hitting everything,” Alayna Meyer said. “We gave her a step and she just hit all the shots. We switched Taylor [Scohy] onto her to guard her tight and I think that turned everything around.”
Lipps had 21 first half points for Ross, but didn’t score again until the game’s closing minute.
Scohy, meanwhile, led Bellbrook with 22 to continue her reign as the leading scorer in the SWBL this season. The Golden Eagles were able to get its spark from another spot on the floor though to start the comeback.
Jordan Frantz had a career-high 14 points, all but one of which came in the second half. Muscling her way into the paint on several occasions, she picked up several key baskets to help Bellbrook build a 16-4 run in the third quarter.
“She always provides so much energy for the team,” Meyer said. “She had some great takes to the basket that we needed when we needed a score and had a big shot coming down the stretch that she hit.”
Head coach Jason Tincher noted Frantz’s role as being more than just a consistent player to be relied on, becoming an unsung leader by the example she has created for her teammates to follow.
“She had to play behind her sister a little bit and didn’t get a whole lot of time last year,” he said. “She just never wavered, always remained coachable and now it’s her turn to shine a little bit and she’s taken full advantage. She’s a leader that practices hard and she wants the best for herself and her teammates.”
Bellbrook (4-0) has now won 29 of its last 30 league games, but hasn’t received many scares during that stretch.
Ross began the year with four straight wins and was one of only two other unbeaten teams remaining in SWBL play along with Bellbrook entering Thursday.
Led by Lipp’s five makes from beyond the arc, Ross built a nine-point lead in the opening quarter and despite slowing down before halftime they were able to stay in front by four at the break.
Meyer hit a pair of threes to open the scoring and keep the Golden Eagles close early, while Eva Koesters and Ainsley Gregory both made shots from deep as part of eight in the game by the team.
Bellbrook will take its first break from the SWBL when it travels to face Mount Notre Dame, one of the state’s top teams, at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Prior to the game, Bellbrook honored Meyer for breaking the school’s career record for made three-point shots. Later on in the second quarter, the game was briefly stopped to recognize the moment Scohy reached the 1,000 career points milestone during play.
Contact Steven Wright at 937-502-4498 and follow on X (formerly Twitter) @Steven_Wright_.
