Springs Valley Community High School

At halftime of its final game of 2022, the Springs Valley girls’ basketball team had its hands full. The Blackhawks were hosting Hancock County (Ky.) and a subpar second quarter in which they were outscored 15-5 had given the Hornets a 27-17 lead. Then, just as quickly as Springs Valley had fallen in that hole, it climbed out. After failing to make a 3-pointer in the entire first half on Thursday, the Blackhawks dropped in two during the third quarter. That helped reinvigorate their offensive effort as they put together one of their highest-scoring periods of the season with 21 third-quarter points. That outburst would eventually help Springs Valley take a 54-50 victory, extending its winning streak to four games. “We did a decent job in the first quarter of handling the storm. I knew they were going to run, run, run and I thought we did a decent job of handling that. In the second quarter we couldn’t score to save our life,” Springs Valley coach Marty Niehaus said. “In the second half we did a much better job on both ends of the floor. I felt like this was a really good contest for us because they’re a good team and they fought hard. We had to fight hard, it was a physical, intense contest, and that will help make us better.” While the improvement in 3-point shooting was noticeable (2-5 from downtown as opposed to 0-5 in the first half), Springs Valley’s offense as a whole saw an uptick after the break. The Blackhawks shot 6-of-27 from the field in the first half, then shot 12-of-23 in the second. They also shot 11-16 on free throws in the second half, getting to the line twice as often as they did in the first. However the Blackhawks found their groove in the second half, it’s ultimately what saved them. “I think we just kind of loosened up a little bit. In that first half we were a little tight, there was no flow to what we were doing,” Niehaus said. “The second half we just came out a little looser, a little more attack-oriented, and that helped lead to some easy buckets.” When it came time to close out the comeback, the Blackhawks were given some runouts that they probably should have. They were more than happy to take advantage of them though. Tori McCormick in particular hit a pair of big shots in the closing minutes, giving her a team-high six points in the fourth quarter and eight for the game, all in the second half. She also scored those eight points on just six shots, continuing the trend of her being one of Valley’s most efficient scoring options this season. “That’s one thing about Tori: on any given night you can usually count on her to hit those two-footers and she has a good nose for the bucket,” Niehaus said. “When she catches it down low I always feel pretty good about her getting it in the hole.” Following the win, Springs Valley (9-6, 3-1 PLAC) will get a short break before trying to extend its winning streak to five games. On Saturday, the Blackhawks will hit the road for a matchup with Class 1A No. 9 Vincennes Rivet. As they do so, then head into a busy January slate, they’ll use the ups and downs of Thursday’s contest to continue building. “I think that having to play against a player like House who’s going to the bucket will definitely help us learn. We obviously didn’t do a great job of stopping her, but I think later on we made her work pretty hard to earn what she got,” Niehaus said. “I think it definitely helped us learn where we help, just how to play our team defense a little bit better, and obviously that’s what we’re going to need to do here as we head down the homestretch.” HANCOCK COUNTY HORNETS 50 3P;AFG;FT;R;PF;Pts Li. Roberts;2-11;5-23;5-9;8;1;17 Ross;0-0;0-0;0-0;1;2;0 Morris;0-0;1-8;0-0;5;5;3 Keown;0-1;1-2;0-0;1;2;2 House;1-2;8-17;11-17;5;3;28 La. Roberts;0-0;0-3;0-0;0;5;0 Totals;4-22;15-53;16-26;28;18;50 Shooting;.182;.283;.615 SPRINGS VALLEY BLACKHAWKS 54 3P;AFG;FT;R;PF;Pts Buchanan, g;1-4;1-9;5-7;6;3;8 Eckerty, g;0-4;0-5;0-0;5;3;0 Carnes, f;0-0;7-12;6-9;15;2;20 Hall, f;0-0;2-5;4-6;3;1;8 Nottger, c;0-0;3-8;0-0;3;2;6 McCormick;0-0;4-6;0-0;1;3;8 Bonta;1-2;1-5;1-2;1;1;4 Land;0-0;0-0;0-0;0;0;0 Totals;2-10;18-50;16-24;34;15;54 Shooting;.200;.360;.667 Hancock County;12;15;9;14—50 Springs Valley (9-6);12;5;21;16—54 TO: Springs Valley 11, Hancock County 8.