SIDNEY — Miami Valley League wins keep coming with ease for Sidney. This weekend, the squad is hoping to earn a nonconference win in addition to an MVL win.
The Yellow Jackets scored the first 27 points and dominated archrival Piqua 49-10 in an MVL win on Wednesday. Jordan Scully made a basket in the final seconds of the second quarter to push the margin to 35 points and ensure the second half would start with a running clock.
“We ran really well tonight and we defended really well,” Sidney senior guard Allie Stockton said. “We’ve been slacking a little bit, so we’ve picked it up in practice. I think this was our best defensive game since Tipp City.”
Sidney is holding opponents to an average of 30.1 points per game and has given up more than 40 points just three times.
Those three games were all nonconference losses, including in a 60-53 loss to undefeated Tri-Village on Dec. 31 in which the squad was outscored 24-17 in the fourth quarter.
Sidney (11-3, 11-0 MVL Valley) is scheduled to host Stebbins (4-9, 3-7) on Saturday and will face Fort Erie International Academy, a Canadian prep school based close to Niagara Falls, on Sunday afternoon in the Classic in the City at Pickerington Central High School. Fort Erie’s girls program is in its first year.
The Yellow Jackets are hoping for a better showing in a showcase after losing 68-43 to defending Div. III state champion Cincinnati Purcell Marian (11-2) on Nov. 27 in an invitational tournament in Cincinnati.
“We’re really wanting to manage our minutes the best way we can this week,” Sidney coach Jamal Foster said. “Playing three games in (five days), that’s tough on anybody.
“We have to play Saturday, not take that lightly, and then understand that we’ve got to get up, go to Columbus and compete. We’re taking (Thursday) off, and then get back at it Friday, Saturday and Sunday and try to get the best outcome possible.”
Sidney was able to get its starters some rest on Wednesday by dominating the Indians (2-11, 2-9 MVL Miami) from the start.
Stockton scored 11 points in the first quarter to lead a 19-0 scoring edge. The Yellow Jackets pushed their lead to 27-0 before Piqua scored; they led 41-6 at halftime.
The entire second half was played with a running clock; everyone on Sidney’s bench played.
“That was something we really talked about during Christmas break, finding a way to develop our bench to be ready to compete for tournament,” Foster said. “We want an eight, nine-girl rotation. I think these games are a great opportunity to get girls in.”
Stockton, a four-year starter, scored 11 points in the second quarter and finished with 22 points. She’s now averaging an MVL-best 15.9 points per game. She ranks in the op five in the MVL in rebounds (8.1) and blocks (1.5) and is sixth in steals (3.2).
“I think she’s figured her game out,” Foster said. “She’s figured out the shots that work for her, the spots that she wants to get to. When you’ve played as many games as she’s played, you figure out what works and what doesn’t.”
Jordan Scully scored 10 points on Wednesday and is averaging about 11 points per game. Larkyn Vordemark finished with nine points; she is averaging about 10 points per game.
Fort Erie International recently started all its sports programs. Its boys team played its first season last year and won the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association’s title; the girls squad was 9-0 in OSBA games entering Thursday night and had blown out most opponents.
“They’re really strong,” Foster said. “They have great guard play. They have girls with multiple Division I offers. They get up and down like we do. They’re not super big, but they have guard play like we do, and they play the tempo that we do.
“It should be fun. We’re ready to compete.”
