“It’s not going to be easy,” Robinson said. “If we think we’re going to come out of this game and go relax, we’re kidding ourselves. They’re not going to let it happen. I really believe these kids’ focus is where it should be and they know what’s at stake.”
»RELATED: Tuesday’s high school roundup
The Knights trailed by 10 at the half against the Irish, but took the lead midway through the third quarter. Greenon senior Reagan Ware scored six points — all coming at the free throw line in the final two minutes — to seal the victory.
“At halftime, their attitude and mentality was really good,” Robinson said. “They weren’t freaking out, nobody was yelling at each other, nobody was arguing. We were fortunate to only be down 10 at halftime. We realized that and that’s what we talked about. We just had to make more shots and do better defensively.”
Greenon’s sister duo of senior Lydia Henry (11 points) and freshman Claire Henry (13 points) came up big the second half, hitting four key 3-pointers to help the Knights take the lead down the stretch. Senior Delaney Benedict added 12.
“Those were big shots at big times,” Robinson said. “Every one of these kids want the ball at the end of the game. None of them are shying away any more. The kids coming off the bench want the basketball, too. When you get that, it’s huge. They executed and did a great job.”
Junior Abbigail Peterson scored 15 points, junior Meghan Foster had 12 points and Mallory Mullen added 11 as Catholic Central fell to 11-5 and 8-3 in the division.
“We definitely had the opportunity (to win the game),” said Irish coach Brandon Peterson. “We stuck to the game plan, but had some careless turnovers. We just couldn’t put two halves together.”
Neither program has won an OHC division title in girls basketball. The teams will meet again at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, in a game that could decide the division champion.
The Irish will look to bounce back on Thursday against Lehman Catholic before hosting third-place Greeneview on Saturday.
“Our main focus is to continue to do what we do,” Peterson said. “We got some big plays today that really helped us. It’s just another game. We’re still building for that last game and for the tournament. I told them we don’t win and lose, it’s win and learn.”
The Knights won’t look too far ahead either, Robinson said.
“We have some big goals, but we don’t really talk about them,” Robinson said. “We want to play every game to go 1-0. That’s our focus.”
Here’s a look at other conference races as we head into the final four weeks of the season:
OHC North
Mechanicsburg beat West Liberty-Salem 50-28 on Tuesday night to claim the top spot in the division. Kasey Schipfer had 24 points and Grace Forrest had 13 as the Indians improved to 15-1 and 11-0.
West Liberty-Salem, the two-time defending division champion, fell to 13-2 and 11-1.
Mechanicsburg is also seeking its first OHC championship in girls basketball. They host the Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 8 in the regular season finale for both teams.
Central Buckeye Conference
Jonathan Alder is 12-2 and 6-0 in the CBC Kenton Trail division. The Pioneers have a two-game lead over London (10-6, 4-2) and four-time defending champion Tecumseh (7-9, 4-2) with four games remaining.
North Union is also seeking its first division title since joining the CBC Mad River last season. The Wildcats are 10-6 and 5-1 in the division. They hold a one-game lead over both Indian Lake (7-8, 4-2) and four-time defending Mad River champion Benjamin Logan (6-8, 4-2).
Greater Western Ohio Conference
Division I second-ranked Wayne (15-1, 8-0) is in first place in one of the toughest divisions in the state, the GWOC American.
Fifth-ranked Fairmont is second at 14-1 and 7-1 in the division. The Firebirds lone loss came at Wayne 51-49 on Dec. 7.
Wayne travels to Fairmont on Jan. 29.
Springfield is 5-9 and 0-8 in the division. Since starting the season 2-6, the Wildcats have won three of their last six games.
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