Lady Dawgs upend 4th ranked Lima Bath

BERLIN, Ohio – The Tri-Valley girls basketball team has been through a lot over the past twelve months, to say the least.

From the highs of winning a share of the 2019-20 MVL title, to upsetting the top ranked team in the state to win a regional title and earning a spot in the state semifinals, to the bitter disappointment of having the opportunity to compete for a state championship stolen from them mere hours before tip-off, the Lady Dawgs have spent the past year playing with a chip on their shoulders.

For this young Scotties team, it’s about settling unfinished business. It’s about proving that, despite losing their core leaders in Kyndal Howe, Lauren King and Audrey Spiker, they still belong in the conversation when it comes to the best teams in the state.

Unfortunately, for the Lady Dawgs, they don’t seem to be getting much notice when it comes to that conversation.

The Scotties were ranked outside the top ten when the first Associated Press Ohio girls basketball polls were released, coming in at 13th. When the January 12th polls were released, they were nowhere to be found.

Despite coming into Saturday with an 11-2 record — one of those losses courtesy of second-ranked Sheridan — and outscoring opponents by 30, 40, sometimes 50 points, the Scotties can’t seem to earn any respect when it comes to being considered a top team.

So what would it take for Tri-Valley to get the attention of the pollsters?

How about a win against the fourth ranked team in Division II?

The 2021 Classic in the Country features top teams from the state and the region, with teams coming from as far as Las Vegas, Nevada. Tri-Valley was invited to participate in day one of this year’s event, and they were matched up with the 4th ranked Lima Bath Wildcats.

The Scotties built momentum early before the Wildcats pulled back within three at the half. The Lady Dawgs pulled away again in the third, leading by as much as eight before the Wildcats shrunk the deficit back to three, trailing 32-29 with two minutes to go in the third quarter.

That’s when Riley Tracy took over.

Tracy ended the third with back-to-back three pointers, then added another three to begin the fourth quarter and then another three about a minute in. Tracy’s three point rampage extended the Scotties’ lead to double digits, and they wouldn’t let up until the final whistle.

FINAL: TRI-VALLEY 57 – LIMA BATH 46