Springs Valley Community High School

Coming into Tuesday’s showdown with Orange County rival Orleans, the Springs Valley girls’ basketball team needed a win. The Blackhawks had fallen to Sectional 63 foe Barr-Reeve and rival Northeast Dubois the week before and a loss would drop their record below .500 for the first time this season. Only two points separated the two teams in the first half with Springs Valley leading 24-22 at the break, but when they returned to the court the Blackhawks finally got things going. More specifically, Brynne Buchanan got things going. After a strong start to the season the senior’s shooting had stagnated over the last couple of weeks, just two of her last 21 3-point attempts had gone in across the Blackhawks’ last four games. Then, just as quickly as she fell into the slump, she climbed out of it. With the Blackhawks down 26-24 in the third, she took over. The ball found her on the left wing on a drive-and-kick from classmate Bella Shipman. She stepped into the shot and drilled it from 21 feet. Shipman drove across the lane and kicked out to her on the right wing. She popped the shot and the net snapped upward after the ball sunk through it. Maci Eckerty stole the ball and flew up the court on the break, then flipped the ball to Shipman who found Buchanan trailing the play at the top of the key. Swish. By the time Orleans coach Jared Gilbert called a timeout, the Blackhawks led 33-26. Buchanan’s outburst gave them a lead that they wouldn’t surrender, eventually winning 52-43. “Knowing it was a conference game gave us motivation because that’s one of our goals this year, to take the conference, so we know we had to play with a lot of intensity. I think that’s what kept us in this game and what got us through,” Buchanan said. “I just felt hot. Every time I got the ball it felt good in my hands so I just let it go.” After Orleans’ timeout, Buchanan would hit one more 3-pointer for good measure. She drove into the paint and kicked it out to Shipman, then suddenly darted to the perimeter to take a direct handoff from her teammate. The sharpshooter used her makeshift screen and a slow closeout to her advantage, hitting nothing but net. She’d finish with 17 points, five rebounds, and a steal, her best performance of the season. “We needed that. Brynne’s struggled and we’ve all struggled really from the outside the last couple of games,” Springs Valley coach Marty Niehaus said. “We obviously knew that Brynne had the capability to do that, it’s just great to see her get those going.” The other defining trait of Springs Valley’s victory was the Blackhawks’ dogged defense. They pushed the Bulldogs to 17 turnovers and, in the second half, held them to just 30 percent shooting from the field. It was a welcome sight for Niehaus, who was hoping to see her team come alive against Orleans. “We came out much more aggressive. Of course that got us into foul trouble, but I thought we needed to be the ones to set the tone instead of letting the other team be the one to push and get their way,” Niehaus said. “I was proud of our effort.” Springs Valley (5-4, 2-0 PLAC) hopes the win will help snap it out of the funk it’s been in recently, losing three of its last four prior to the Orleans game. The Blackhawks will take on White River Valley on Thursday, then get geared up for a trip to Perry Central at the start of next week. “It’s definitely a confidence booster to come in and win this game like that. I think that will help us a lot,” Buchanan said. “We’ll take that with us into our next game.” ORLEANS BULLDOGS 43 3P;AFG;FT;R;PF;Pts Abel, g;0-3;1-8;0-3;3;2;2 Alston, g;0-0;4-5;5-9;7;2;13 Knight, f;1-4;2-6;0-2;1;4;5 Dewitt, f;0-0;1-3;2-2;1;2;4 Gehl, c;0-0;0-5;0-3;1;2;0 Hughett;0-0;3-5;0-0;4;2;6 Cline;1-5;4-10;0-0;2;5;9 Rutherford;0-0;0-1;0-0;0;0;0 Salmon;0-0;1-1;2-2;1;0;4 Totals;2-12;16-44;9-21;21;21;43 Shooting;.167;.364;.429 SPRINGS VALLEY BLACKHAWKS 52 3P;AFG;FT;R;PF;Pts Buchanan, g;4-8;5-12;3-4;5;0;17 Eckerty, g;2-8;2-12;4-4;6;1;10 Shipman, f;0-0;1-2;1-2;4;5;3 Hall, f;0-0;2-5;3-6;3;2;7 Carnes, c;0-0;0-3;0-0;8;3;0 Bonta;0-2;1-4;2-3;1;1;4 Nottger;0-0;1-2;0-1;4;4;2 McCormick;0-0;4-6;1-4;4;1;9 Land;0-0;0-0;0-0;0;1;0 Totals;6-18;16-46;14-24;35;18;52 Shooting;.333;.348;.583 Orleans (6-3);5;17;9;12—43 Springs Valley (5-4);6;18;16;12—52 TO: Springs Valley 20, Orleans 17.