NEW BOSTON – After four games over two nights, the Glenwood Holiday Classic came to a climactic end Tuesday night, as the Minford Lady Falcons defeated the Rock Hill Redwomen, 66-46, in the championship game.
The game was a tale of two halves, as the Redwomen and Lady Falcons were only separated by two points, 24-22, at halftime. However, the Minford offense came alive in the second half, outscoring their opponents by 18 points to finish with a 20 point victory.
“It was another great team win,” Minford coach Scott Caudill said. “Rock Hill plays tough and physical. That’s what I can say about that. They came out hard, really wanted to play, and they played us tough and physical.”
The game was physical from tipoff until the final buzzer, and resembled a more old-school feel to the style of play.
“They hit the glass very hard, and they challenged us in the glass,” Caudill said. “It was really great for us, because that’s definitely something we need to work on, but our girls came together for a team win.”
Minford stepped up and toughened up for their game against Rock Hill.
Lady Falcons’ sophomore Erin Daniels was injured in the first minute of the game, and had to come off the court with the help of a trainer.
In obvious pain, Daniels was examined by a trainer, and was taken out of the game. She would re-enter the game late in the first quarter.
After returning, Daniels took control of the Lady Falcon offense for the remainder of the game, scoring a team high 22 points.
“She really just started lighting it on fire, offensively and defensively,” Caudill said.
The injury was frightening at first to the Minford players, coaching staff, and fans. First thoughts immediately went to Daniels’ left knee, on which she wears a brace.
“It was actually her ankle. I was scared it was her knee,” Caudill said. “She sat out and the trainer looked at it. I tell you what, Erin is such a tough kid. She is a very strong tough kid, and when she went out, I knew she was coming back. That’s just the type of kid she is.”
Caudill didn’t initially know how long Daniels would sit, stating he left it up to her, after getting the okay from the trainer.
The second half belonged to Minford. They outscored Rock Hill by 18 points in the half, consistently adding to their two point halftime lead.
“Finally in the second half, we just started making adjustments and started moving the ball around,” Caudill said. “We weren’t doing that in the first half. We were more patient offensively, and were able to get the ball inside, and get more inside shots.”
Nearly every Lady Falcon scored more in the second half than in the first. Daniels had 22 points in the game, 18 came in the second half. Emma Shepherd, who finished with 16 points on the night, scored 10 in the second half.
Abby Grasso did all of her scoring in the third and fourth quarters, putting up 11 points against Rock Hill.
The Redwomen had their fair share of scoring as well. Anna Darby and Kacie Russell finished the night in double figures. Darby led Rock Hill with 23 points, while Russell ended the night with 11 points.
Russell fouled out in the last minute of the game, one point shy of her 1,000th varsity point. She also fouled out in her team’s win over Glenwood on the first night of the Glenwood Holiday Classic.
Caudill said his team’s win over Rock Hill was the type of win his team really needed.
“We needed a good physical team like that,” Caudill said.
The Lady Falcons will travel to Beaver, Ohio to take on the Eastern Lady Eagles. The game has a scheduled 6 p.m. tipoff on Monday evening.
Box Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Minford | 11 | 13 | 13 | 29 | 66 |
| Rock Hill | 8 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 46 |
Individual Statistics
Minford – Daniels 7-5-22, Shepherd 5-5-16, Grasso 5-1-11, Risner 2-0-6, Blankenship 2-0-4, Hammond 1-0-3, Puckett 0-2-2, Pica 1-0-2
Rock Hill – Darby 9-5-23, Russell 4-2-11, Dillon 1-2-4, Hall 1-0-3, Noel 1-0-3, Kline 1-0-2
3-point field goals – Minford 7 (Daniels 3, Risner 2, Shepherd, Hammond) Rock Hill 3 (Hall, Noel, Russell)
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