Patterson goes crazy as Lady Knights take 2-of-3
Kinsey Patterson had herself an impressive game in the Lady Knights’ 49-39 win over Mt. Vernon. Patterson connected on six threes, good for 25 points, in helping West Holmes take two of its first three contests this season.
After getting knocked off in a barn-burner by Triway at The Dungeon last year, the West Holmes Lady Knights were hoping to invade The Pit to open the 2020-21 high school basketball season on Tuesday, Nov. 23 and exact a little revenge.
In yet another tight battle, the two teams engaged in an exciting contest that saw the Lady Knights take their revenge in a 52-48 win that went right down to the final seconds.
The Lady Knights got a huge early lift from the play of Ella McMillen, who helped WHHS build a 14-10 lead through one quarter when a 9-0 run turned a 6-2 deficit into an 11-6 lead. McMillen poured in nine points in a great first eight minutes.
Triway’s Mallory Fluharty kept the Titans close, and her first quarter play along with the play of Kelsey Himes helped close the gap in the second quarter. Treys from Kinsey Patterson and Claire Reynolds pushed West Holmes’ lead to 28-20, but Himes sandwiched a pair of and-ones around another Reynolds’ three-ball, trimming Triway’s deficit to 31-28 at intermission.
Reynolds then came out of the locker room launching and hitting triples, nailing three straight early on for West Holmes. However, Fluharty and Himes continued to keep Triway within striking distance, Himes’ two free throws cutting the Lady Knights’ lead to 41-38 through three quarters.
McMillen hit two free throws to begin the quarter, but Fluharty and teammate Caitlin Titler scored inside to trim the deficit to one at 43-42. Melanie Fair buried a long two for West Holmes, but Titler scored on a put-back, and a drive after a WH turnover gave Triway its first lead since early in the game.
Patterson’s acrobatic drive gave West Holmes a one-point edge, and she then made a steal with 1:20 to play. West Holmes turned it over, and Triway came away empty on its possession, fouling Patterson, who missed the front end of a one-and-one. With 32 seconds to play, Alivia Crilow didn’t miss for Triway, sinking both free throws to give the Titans a 48-47 lead.
Three seconds later Patterson was fouled and had a chance to make amends. She did, hitting both free throws to return a one-point lead to West Holmes’ side of the scoreboard.
After a Haylee Pruitt miss, McMillen was fouled with nine seconds to play and calmly drilled both charity tosses for a 51-48 lead.
Triway called a time-out and got a solid look at a game-tying three, but it was off the mark and Patterson was there to haul down the rebound with 0.4 seconds to play. She made the first free throw to seal the deal and give the Lady Knights a season-opening win.
Reynolds had a huge night from downtown, hitting five treys en route to a 17-point effort. McMillen also came up big, scoring 14 points to go with six boards. Patterson added 11 points, Fair had six points with matching rebounds, Allie McMillen had six assists and four steals, and Zaylee Schultz chipped in with three points.
Triway was paced by Fluharty with 12 points, Titler kicking in 11, and Himes and Aaliyah Wirth, who scored big in the first half, both adding 10.
The Lady Knights were not as fortunate in their next outing. Facing a rugged Medina team, West Holmes suffered through a miserable first quarter and eventually were routed 49-24.
Medina jumped out to a 13-2 first quarter lead, and neither team experienced much luck in the second period, in which Medina added one point to its lead and took an 18-6 lead into intermission.
Things only got more difficult in the second half for West Holmes, which was outscored 19-10 in the third quarter and never got close after that.
Ella McMillen scored a team-high nine points for West Holmes while Reynolds added six points and Allie McMillen scored three points to go with four steals.
On Tuesday, Nov. 30, Patterson went off for the game of a lifetime in leading West Holmes to a 49-39 win over Mt. Vernon. Patterson poured in a career-high 25 points on the strength of six 3-pointers, adding four steals to her prolific evening.
West Holmes held a five-point advantage at the half, a lead that would be trimmed to three after the third period. However, Patterson made sure Mt. Vernon got no closer, and the Lady Knights captured the victory.
Fair added seven points while hauling down 11 rebounds, Reynolds scored seven, Keegan Uhl chipped in with six, and Allie McMillen came away with four steals and three assists.