With a strong second half effort, the West Holmes Lady Knights basketball team earned themselves a third straight Ohio Cardinal Conference title on Thursday, Feb. 2.
Actually, a share of the league crown.
That’s right, with a 42-31 over Madsion on Thursday, West Holmes wins a share the OCC championship with Mansfield Senior. This marks the third straight season West Holmes can identify as the OCC champs.
Senior, who knocked off the Lady Knights twice this season (West Holmes’ only two losses on the season), fell to New Philadelphia earlier this week setting up the chance for West Holmes to tied the Tygers atop the OCC.
Like the Lady Knights, the Tygers took care of business on their end as well on Thursday night dominating Ashland 68-33 to split the title with West Holmes.
West Holmes will finish in the OCC with a record of 12-2 and boast their record to 17-2 overall on the campaign.
West Holmes got a game-high 17 points from senior guard Ella McMillen to help propel the Lady Knights to the win over Madison although the Lady Knights did trail at the break 15-14.
Ella McMillen scored six of her 17 points in the first half and then with the Lady Knights trailing 21-16 midway through the third quarter she hit three 3-pointers to charge the Lady Knights ahead 29-22 after three.
Helping Ella McMillin in the scoring column was Allie McMillin who dropped eight points, Keegan Uhl added six and freshman Zalina Proper added four big points. Proper started the third quarter run with a floater in the lane with 2:51 to play in the quarter and then Ella McMillian took over with the three 3s.
The Lady Knights, now done with conference play, will head out on a tour against some of the best girls basketball teams in the area.
West Holmes will play host to Waynedale (17-3, 11-2) on Feb. 4. Then head to the Perry Reese Jr. Center to take on the 14-6 Hiland Hawks on Thursday, Feb. 9 and finish the gauntlet back in The Dungeon on Saturday, Feb. 11 against Triway (12-7).
