SIDNEY — Sidney is looking to keep up the success it’s had the previous four seasons. It started the season on Friday by doing something it didn’t in any of those campaigns.

The Yellow Jackets pulled away in the fourth quarter and beat Russia 52-41 in a season opener. It was the first time they’ve beaten the Raiders since 2015.

The Yellow Jackets won Miami Valley League titles and at least 19 games each of the last two years; they’ve won at least 15 games each of the last four years.

They have four multiple-year varsity players back this season but are without four players lost to graduation, including multiple-year starters Allie Stockton, Lexee Brewer and Reagan Clark.

Three returning guards led the squad in scoring on Friday. Junior Jordan Scully scored 20 points, junior Larkyn Vordemark scored 16 and senior Kiara Hudgins scored 11.

“I think we’re building,” Jamal Foster, who is entering his fifth year as coach, said. “I think a lot of people really don’t know what to expect from this squad, considering what we lost. This squad is ready. They have some returners who are ready to step up and lead.”

Vordemark scored nine points in the fourth quarter to help the squad pull away and had a team-high five rebounds. Scully had five steals and four assists. Hudgins, who spent most of last season on the bench recovering from a knee surgery, had five assists and four rebounds.

“It’s their time,” Foster said. “Jordan stepped up, and Larkyn stepped up down the stretch. …It’s about heart. Larkyn didn’t feel like she played well in the first half, and we just told her to stick with it. Between jump shots, layups, rebounds, she brings toughness and we needed every ounce of that down the stretch.

“… Ki ran the show tremendously tonight. You see what she does when she’s back healthy.”

The three helped lead a strong defensive effort. Sidney finished with 10 steals and unofficially forced Russia into 18 turnovers. Many of the turnovers came in the fourth quarter, which helped Sidney amass a 20-9 scoring edge.

“We felt we were playing too slow (early),” Foster said. “We wanted to get the ball up the floor and get it in certain players’ hands that just needed to get downhill. I felt like we did a lot of settling in the first half.”

The Yellow Jackets, which are scheduled to travel to Greenville for their MVL opener on Wednesday, shot 18 for 45 (40 percent) from the floor. Russia shot 41 percent from the floor and had a 32-18 rebounding edge.

Russia, which dropped to 0-2 after a 36-27 loss to Minster on Saturday, is under the guidance of first-year coach Michael Bashore. Bashore has taken over the program for Paul Bremigan, who stepped down after last season. Bashore previously was Greenville and Fort Recovery’s head boys coach.

Russia finished 22-5 last year and won a district title. The Raiders lost eight seniors to graduation off last year’s team (including two all-Ohio players in Cece Borchers and Kate Sherman) and have a roster mostly made of varsity newcomers this year.

Russia is led in the post by 6-foot-0 senior center Roni Poling, the squad’s lone returning starter. She scored 19 points on Friday, 10 of which came in the first quarter and helped Russia take a 15-8 lead. She also had a game-high 14 rebounds.

“She did a really nice job and was able to do whatever she wanted early on,” Bashore said. “They did a nice job adjusting to make it more difficult for us to get it into her.”

Sidney started 6-1 senior center Camryn Edwards, a varsity newcomer, and 5-10 junior Kendall Dickman to help counteract Russia’s height.

The Yellow Jackets went with a smaller lineup the rest of the night and focused on pressuring Russia’s guards. The strategy worked, as Russia struggled to work it into the post as much as it did in the first quarter.

After scoring seven field goals in the first quarter, Russia made just nine in the last three quarters.

The Yellow Jackets used a 12-4 scoring edge in the second to take a 20-19 halftime lead. Russia used a 13-12 edge in the third to tie it but couldn’t keep up in the fourth quarter.

“Our effort was there and our competitiveness was there,” Bashore said. “We were tied going into the fourth quarter with a really good team. We probably will not see three guards that quick all on the same team the rest of the year.

“I thought for three quarters, we did fine. We ran out of gas toward the end.”

Russia’s lone other returning letterwinner, senior guard Carley Scott, is injured. The rest of Russia’s roster is made of varsity newcomers.

Freshman Hazel Francis started on Friday and scored 12 points. She started, and sophomore Claudia Hoehne, sophomore Kourtney Phlipot and freshman Celeste Borchers saw significant playing time off the bench.

“We’re playing a lot of sophomores and some freshman,” Bashore said. “… They did a nice job. I don’t think the lights got too bright for our kids. I think Sidney just did an excellent job of taking us out of what we wanted to do.

“… The first three quarters was probably the best we’ve played all preseason. That’s what I’m proudest about. Our girls battled. Even when things weren’t going our way, we didn’t hang our heads, we battled. That’s what we preach in practice every day.”

Poling scored 11 points in Russia’s loss at Minster on Saturday.

The Raiders are scheduled to travel to Jackson Center for their SCAL opener on Tuesday.

Fort Loramie drops to Miami East in opener

Fort Loramie lost its opener for the first time since 2016 when it fell 36-33 on its home court to Miami East on Friday.

The Redskins led 9-2 at the end of the first quarter, but the Vikings dominated the second and third quarters and led by as many as 11 in the second half before Fort Loramie battled back.

Skyler Albers hit a shot to tie it 31-31 late, but Miami East made five late free throws to pull away.

Fort Loramie played without returning starter Avery Brandewie, who is dealing with a minor ankle injury. Brandewie, a junior, was a first team all-Shelby County Athletic League selection last year.

Junior Victoria Mescher, who was a second team all-SCAL selection, missed over a quarter on Friday due to a bloody nose. She scored 10 points, while senior Summer Hoying led the team with 12.

Fort Loramie was scheduled to host Anna on Tuesday; the Rockets beat New Knoxville 42-29 in their season opener on Saturday.

Jackson Center dominates in opener

Jackson Center dominated on its home court in a season opener on Friday and beat Bethel 52-8.

Junior McKinley Reichert, who was a second team all-SCAL selection last year, scored 19 points while Addie Biederman scored 14.

The Tigers were scheduled to host Russia on Tuesday.

Reach Bryant Billing at 937-538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter and @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook.