PIQUA — Kiara Hudgins missed almost all of her junior season while recuperating from knee surgery. Opponents are aware she’s back at full strength.

Hudgins is averaging a Miami Valley League-best 4.8 steals per game and has helped anchor a strong defense, which was on display again by Sidney on Saturday in a 51-28 win over Piqua at Garbry Gymnasium.

The victory was the fifth straight for Sidney (8-1, 7-0 MVL Valley).

Piqua committed 18 turnovers, which is about the average Sidney’s opponents are making this year. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 11 steals per game.

“I think we communicate very well,” Hudgins said. “We do a lot of defense in practice. …I think we’re moving a lot more. I expressed to (coach Jamal Foster) that he had gotten a little soft, so he started making us run more, so we’re definitely much better conditioned than we were.”

The scar on Hudgins’ left leg is the only sign she has suffered a major knee injury. While many players can struggle to replicate the speed and strength they had prior to such injuries, Hudgins is flying around the court as fast as she did as a sophomore, when she averaged seven points, three assists and three steals per game.

“Missing a year, I really just had to get after it this year,” Hudgins said. “I’m just trying to get at it as much as I can.”

Hudgins is averaging 11.2 points per game and four assists. While she’s the shortest starter at 5-foot-4, her speed and leaping ability has contributed to her amassing an averaging of five rebounds per game, which ranks second among Sidney players.

The rebounds are key, especially given Sidney’s opponents have almost exclusively gone with zone defenses this year to try to slow the squad.

The Yellow Jackets have had 13 or more offensive rebounds for five straight games.

Sidney junior forward Kelis McNeal is leading the team with an average of about eight rebounds per game. She scored 11 points and unofficially had 11 rebounds on Saturday.

McNeal scored seven points in the first quarter on Saturday to help power the squad to a 14-7 lead. Most of her points came on put-backs, as Sidney struggled to shoot early against Piqua’s zone.

“You need players like her that are going to come through and do a lot of the little things and extend possessions, give you extra chances at buckets,” Foster said of McNeal.

“She does a very, very good job at that. Loose balls, attacking the glass every single possession. It creates extra opportunities, not only for herself, but her teammates. It’s super important in games like today, especially when you see zones.”

Hudgins and the Yellow Jackets’ picked up their man-to-man pressure on Piqua after that. With the help of turnovers and fast breaks, they outscored the Indians 17-9 in the second quarter to push the gap to 31-16 at halftime, then scored the first five points of the third.

“We’re still figuring out how to be us against a zone,” Foster said. “We’re getting some quality shots and are limiting our turnovers. I think in the second half, we did a better job of running and sprinting out to our spots and utilizing the high post, which is something we talk about a lot.”

Foster credited Hudgins for another strong defensive effort. He also said Sidney’s depth has been key in keeping up pressure throughout games this season.

“It’s something we haven’t had the luxury of having, maybe outside of a year ago,” Foster said of the depth. “Coming in, being able to throw bodies out there and being able to keep that tempo up is big for us. We can continue the style of play we want.”

Junior guards Jordan Scully and Larkyn Vordemark each scored 12 points in the win. Scully continues to lead the MVL with an average of 16.7 points per game, while Vordemark ranks third with an average of 13.9 points.

Sidney has a busy stretch before New Year’s Day. The Yellow Jackets are scheduled to host Vandalia-Butler (6-2, 6-1 MVL Miami) on Thursday and to travel to Tri-Village (7-1) on Saturday.

Butler has won five straight since losing consecutive games to West Carrollton and Northmont in the first four days of December.

“They’re always a quality league opponent,” Foster said. “They’re very well-coached. They’ve got a lot of girls returning that can play.”

Fort Loramie rolling on offense

Fort Loramie has been rolling more on offense recently and scored its second-highest total of the season on Saturday in a 65-43 win at Versailles.

Fort Loramie built an early 11-4 lead on Saturday, but Versailles closed the gap to 15-11 by the end of the quarter. The Redskins pushed their advantage to 35-26 by halftime, then used an 18-11 scoring edge in the third to pull away.

Skyler Albers led Fort Loramie with 18 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Avery Brandewie scored 11 points and had a team-high eight rebounds and four steals. Victoria Mescher scored 11 points and had seven rebounds and Summer Hoying scored 10 points.

The Redskins (9-1) have won nine straight since losing their season opener. They are scheduled to travel to Ottawa-Glandorf (9-0) on Saturday. They lost 53-48 to the Titans last year after beating them 60-31 at Ottawa two years ago.

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