West freshman Macy Whisman (1) puts up a shot as Alexander’s Lily Ryder (12) defends during Saturday’s Southeast District Division III girls basketball semifinal game at Waverly’s Downtown Arena.

Ed Litteral | Daily Times

WAVERLY — Macy Whisman scored all of her team’s six points in the final period, as the West Lady Senators held off upset-minded Alexander — and won 42-31 on Saturday in the Division III Southeast District semifinals at Waverly’s Downtown Arena.

Whisman finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in the win — and was calling for the ball in the post late in the game.

“I knew I had someone smaller on me, so I knew I could post them up and get the ball to the rim,” the six-foot freshman said.

That bucket stalled a brief 5-0 run by Alexander, and kept the Lady Senators’ lead at eight points — with only 1:11 to play.

“She is not playing like a freshman at this point in the season,” West coach Larry Howell said, of Whisman. “She is a force out there.”

The Lady Senators (20-3) jumped out to an early 15-6 lead at the end of the first quarter — thanks in part to back-to-back drives for buckets by senior point guard Emma Sayre.

West, the Southeast District’s Division III No. 3 seed, went on an 8-0 run capped off by a Sayre double-clutch layup — shielding the ball from the defender for the 13-3 lead.

“We knew we had to come out strong,” Sayre said. “We locked in on the defensive end early and that helped me get going in transition and get some buckets.”

Sayre had eight points on the day — along with six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

West senior Emma Sayre (21) goes up for a layup as Alexander junior McKenna Moore (15) defends during Saturday’s Southeast District Division III girls basketball semifinal game at Waverly’s Downtown Arena.

Ed Litteral | Daily Times

“Emma does a great job and keeps everyone calmed down,” Howell said. “She leads the team out there and just plays smart ball all the time.”

Early in the first quarter, West senior forward Emily Moore went down with an ankle injury.

She returned in the second period, but her production was limited to five points.

“That hampered us a lot,” Howell said about the injury. “Emily (Moore) has this energy she brings with her rebounding and the hustle. She is one of our best defenders off the ball and we use her length a lot to change shots.”

The West training staff said after the game they anticipate Moore being able to return to practice midweek.

Another freshman, Hailey Carver, kept the momentum going for the Lady Senators — with a three-pointer to start the second quarter, boosting the lead to 18-6.

The Lady Senators took a 31-14 lead into the break — when Kate Rollins nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to end the half.

“We came out quick and got after it,” Howell added, about his team’s first-half performance. “Usually, we struggle in the first half, but we came out and executed the gameplan and got off to a good start.”

The Lady Spartans (15-9) went on a 10-0 run in the third — highlighted by a three-pointer from Kaylee Hudnall, who finished with a team-high 15 points.

West freshman Adi Stephens (10) passes the ball around Alexander’s Kaylee Hudnall (2) during Saturday’s Southeast District Division III girls basketball semifinal game at Waverly’s Downtown Arena.

Ed Litteral | Daily Times

“I thought it was our defense that was leading to our struggles on the offensive side,” Howell said. “Because they were scoring, and we were not getting stops and chances to run the fast breaks.”

A Whisman bucket with 48 seconds left in the quarter kept the West edge at 34-26.

Then Sayre came off a screen with the ball, and drove to the hole for two points, ending the period with a 10-point lead for the Lady Senators.

“Anytime we need (Sayre) to get a bucket she does,” Howell added. “She is a leader out there.”

Howell said his team was able to hold off the Alexander run — and keep pace in the fourth for the win.

“When (Alexander) went to a man-to-man defense in the second half on us, that threw us for a loop a little bit because they’ve been playing a lot of zone,” he added. “But our kids just worked hard and played defense and took care of the basketball. We kept control of the ball and won the boards and that was key in this win.”

West outrebounded the 15th-seeded Lady Spartans, 27-18.

“We just knew to stay calm,” Sayre said. “We know how to play in these games, so I tried to keep them calm and we played like we know how to play in the end.”

West will now return to action on Saturday —and return to its second consecutive district championship game, and for only the second time in program history.

The Lady Senators secured a Southeast District Division III championship last year — defeating Portsmouth en route to finishing as Region 11 runners-up.

This time, on Saturday (March 2) and right back at Waverly’s Downtown Arena, West will face Federal Hocking (17-6) —the ninth-seeded squad which knocked out fourth-seeded Adena 48-36.

Tip time is set for 3 p.m.

West senior Kamryn Spriggs grabs a rebound over Alexander’s Kaylee Hudnall (2) and McKenna Moore (15) during Saturday’s Southeast District Division III girls basketball semifinal game at Waverly’s Downtown Arena.

Ed Litteral | Daily Times

* * *

Alexander 6 8 12 5—31

West 15 16 5 6 —42

ALEXANDER 31 (15-9)

McKenna Moore 1 0-0 2, Kaylee Hudnall 5 2-2 15, Macie Hubbard 1 0-0 3, Lily Ryder 2 6-11 11; TOTALS 9 8-13 31; Three-point goals: 5 (Kaylee Hudnall 3, Macie Hubbard and Lily Ryder 1 apiece)

WEST 42 (20-3)

Macy Whisman 5 6-10 16, Kate Rollins 2 1-2 7, Emma Sayre 4 0-0 8, Hailey Carver 2 0-0 5, Emily Moore 2 1-1 5, Adi Stephens 0 1-2 1; TOTALS 15 9-15 42; Three-point goals: 3 (Kate Rollins 2, Hailey Carver 1)