Dunn, McFadden, Smith lead Bearcats to win over ZT

BAINBRIDGE - After last week's loss to Piketon, Paint Valley's confidence level was anything but high.

The Bearcats knew they were without Lexi Woods for quite some time, they had scored 31 points as a team against the Redstreaks, and the road ahead was an uphill climb.

But after a full week off, the Bearcats (6-9, 5-4 SVC) put those ailments in the past and used a quick start to cruise past Zane Trace Thursday evening by a 58-27 final.

"With the time off, you get worried about how you're going to come out; especially after a day or two of no practice," Paint Valley coach Tristan Norman said. "But I was happy with how the girls came out. They had a sense of intensity right from the start tonight."

Getting the Job Dunn

Paint Valley's 6-foot junior Kelsey Dunn may have had her coming out party. Coming into the contest, Dunn was averaging 9.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

In Thursday's win, she posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 boards.

"Finally, Kelsey stepped up. She not only stepped up but she was taking the ball to the basket, driving in and going up into the defender versus just turning around and fading away," Norman said. "We had a huge post presence from her."

Smith & McFadden

While Dunn enjoyed a career night, Savannah Smith and Lea McFadden lent helping hands as well.

Smith's fast start propelled the Bearcats to a 32-6 lead at halftime while McFadden guided the offense for more than three and a half quarters.

"Lea, as she has been, led the team with hustle and intensity," Norman said. "That's what she's been doing over the last couple of games. Then Savannah, she came out and had some huge rebounds. We needed someone to do that for us. But just the fact that we shared the ball, moved it around and had good minutes, that's huge."

Diamonds in the Rough

The Pioneers (0-13, 0-9 SVC) struggled shooting the basketball but two bright spots were freshmen Lauren Lane and Chloe Uhrig.

That duo combined to produce 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

"I've been pushing Lauren the most recently because she's been the one scoring for us," Zane Trace coach Erin Dailey said. "I just keep telling her to look at who's open. She's still learning. Then, with Chloe, she's kind of been a roller coaster this year. But when she's on, she's on. She has a quick release and she's still developing."

Trusting the Process

With the area's youngest roster, the Pioneers certainly have raw talent.

Thursday, ZT started two sophomores and three freshmen. But the lumps they take now are lessons learned while a bright future awaits.

"From the beginning, we knew we'd be young," Dailey said. "Our motto is 'all in' because we have to be all in for the future. We have to have patience and, sometimes, I have to reiterate that to myself. But we're working with what we have and moving forward."

Stat Book

McFadden followed Dunn with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists while Smith ended the night with nine points and eight boards. Ahneka Campbell added five points and five rebounds to the mix while Baylee Uhrig turned in a team-high five assists.

For Zane Trace, Uhrig led the way with 11 points and five rebounds while Lane followed that performance with eight points and three boards. Alexis Guffey also chipped in, scoring three points, tallying four rebounds and passing out a game-high six assists.

What's on Tap

Both Paint Valley and Zane Trace's next opponent will be Western. The Bearcats travel to Latham Saturday evening while the Pioneers host the Indians Monday night.

"We have to give full effort every night," Norman said. "We did that tonight, put four quarters together and never looked back. We need to do that Saturday as well."

Box Score

Zane Trace: 2-4-7-14 — 27

Paint Valley: 15-17-13-13 — 58

Zane Trace: 10-53 FG, 5-15 FT, 2-13 3pt. (Uhrig 1, Lane 1), 30 rebounds (Houser 6), 25 turnovers, 9 assists (Guffey 6). Scoring: Uhrig 11, Lane 8, Guffey 3, Hill 2, Nelson 2, Fetters 1.

Paint Valley: 22-65 FG, 12-23 FT, 2-13 3pt. (McFadden 1, Uhrig 1), 48 rebounds (Dunn 11), 12 turnovers, 12 assists (Uhrig 5). Scoring: Dunn 19, McFadden 13, Smith 9, Campbell 5, Uhrig 3, Rinehart 2, Mustard 2, Crawford 2, Bouillion 2, Rickey 1.