SIDNEY — Sidney has a small roster — but it’s a talented one that has become more cohesive as the season has progressed.

It’s why the squad is now in a position to win a Miami Valley League Valley Division title — which didn’t look likely a month ago.

The Yellow Jackets beat rival Piqua 55-41 on Tuesday to earn their eighth consecutive win.

Thanks to Stebbins’ 53-52 loss to Troy on Tuesday, Sidney (13-5, 11-4 MVL Valley) has a one-game lead over Stebbins (12-6, 10-5) in Valley Division standings with three games remaining.

Tuesday’s win followed a similar formula. Junior guards A’Zon Steele and Julius Spradling led the team in scoring, and the other five players who took the court contributed in one way or another.

Steele and Spradling each scored 16 points. Steele is averaging an MVL-best 17.3 points per game, while Spradling ranks second with an average of 15.5 points per game.

“They’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing, for the most part, with their passing and shooting,” Sidney coach John Willoughby said of Steele and Spradling. “They may be going out and seeking points, but it’s more a part of our offense than it is them. We run a lot of pick and rolls for them, and they’re good to take it off the dribble, pull up or get it to the rim.”

Spradling heads a team rebounding effort with an average of 5.9 rebounds per game. He also averages about three assists and two steals per game and ranks in the top 10 of MVL players in all three of those categories. Steele averages 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals.

“They do everything, and with us not pressing a whole lot because of our depth, getting two steals a game is pretty good,” Willoughby said.

Junior guard Jayce Daniel added 10 points on Tuesday and senior forward Mitchell Davis scored eight. Daniel averages 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists; Davis averages 7.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. Davis ranks second among MVL players in shooting percentage (56.6) and third in bocks.

“He’s made all the difference with this run,” Willoughby said of Davis. “Having Mitchell be more aggressive on the boards and on offense has made a difference.

“… Jayce is big for us. He played well tonight. He was into it more.”

All four of those players start and rank in the top 10 in the MVL in at least one statistical category. So does junior guard Ethan New, who averages 5.9 rebounds and four points.

New is a big help in the post defensively; he played at center for several minutes on Tuesday when Davis left the floor with a minor injury.

“Ethan played well again. He gives us an edge defensively, those loose balls that he gets,” Willoughby said. “It’s good to see out of Ethan.”

Senior guards Tucker Herron and Gavin Gillum are a big help off the bench defensively. For the most part, Sidney’s starters are on the floor for about 28 of 32 possible minutes each game.

“We really rely on (Herron and Gillum) when guys need a rest or get in foul trouble,” Willoughby said. “… Tucker really fights his butt off, especially (in the post). It can be tough for him size-wise, but he works his butt off.”

Sidney is scheduled to travel to Vandalia-Butler (10-7, 10-5 MVL Miami) on Friday for the second game of a girls/boys doubleheader.

The Yellow Jackets lost 50-38 to Vandalia-Butler on Dec. 29. It was a part of a rough stretch in which Sidney lost four of five games. Sidney dropped to .500 overall on Jan. 5 and was two games behind Stebbins in Valley Division standings.

“Our offense, we really struggled,” Willoughby said of the Dec. 29 loss. “I give credit to Butler, because they played a nice matchup zone, switching to man-to-man. We’ll have to work on that and get some better offense on Friday.”

Sidney struggled early on Tuesday and trailed 10-8 at the end of the first quarter, but Steele scored eight points in the second quarter to lead a 12-8 scoring edge, which gave the squad a 20-18 lead at halftime.

The Yellow Jackets dominated the second half, thanks in part to pressing and creating turnovers.

Spradling scored 10 points in the third to help lead a 24-10 scoring edge, which blew the game open.

Willoughby said the team played with more energy in the second half.

“I thought we passed the ball better,” Willoughby said. “In the first half, I thought we missed a lot of fast-break opportunities, where we didn’t throw it ahead to the open guy. The second half, we probably we had five or six of them where we did throw it ahead. That’s the difference, sharing the ball.”

Lehman Catholic beats Riverside 64-50

Lehman Catholic is trying to get a winning streak going before a pair of crucial Three Rivers Conference games in February.

The Cavaliers beat Riverside 64-50 on Tuesday at Kenny Truster Gymnasium to earn their second consecutive win and improve to 12-4 overall and 6-4 in TRC play. They are scheduled to host Covington (7-10, 3-7) on Friday.

Lehman is slated to travel to Ansonia (4-12) on Tuesday for a nonconference game, then has two big TRC games. The Cavaliers are scheduled to host Troy Christian (13-2, 10-0) next Friday and to travel to Northridge (10-6, 9-1) on Feb. 13.

The Eagles and Polar Bears are in first and second place, respectively, in TRC standings. Lehman, which is in fourth place, lost 54-37 at Troy Christian on Jan. 5 and 41-32 to Northridge on Jan. 12 at Schlater Family Gymnasium.

Lehman senior guard Donovan O’Leary ranks third among TRC players with an average of 16.6 points per game and first with an average of 9.1 rebounds. He also ranks third with 1.5 blocks.

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