Lady Huskies fall to Martins Ferry in Buckeye 8 matchup

Harrison Central’s Lady Huskies traveled to St. Clairsville’s ECO Center to face the Martins Ferry Lady Purple Riders in a Jan. 17 matchup between the teams in the top two positions in the 2025-26 Buckeye 8 tournament standings. What the Huskies found was a team with speed, rebounding and accurate shooting. Martins Ferry held Harrison Central scoreless in the first and third quarters and won 75-14.

Martins Ferry improved to 14-3 overall and 10-3 in conference play. With two seniors and six juniors on the roster, the Lady Purple Riders are looking to repeat next season and make another run at a “Purple Reign.”

Harrison Central, in a rebuilding season, has two seniors on the roster, along with four juniors, three sophomores and seven freshmen. The Lady Huskies are 7-10 overall and 7-6 in conference play. With a strong group of returning players, Harrison Central hopes to make another run in 2026-27.

Martins Ferry opened the game with an unanswered 23-0 first quarter, scoring from both 2-point and 3-point range. The Lady Purple Riders also used a height advantage to control the boards, and their aggressive defense led to turnovers and scores.

A full-court press led to three steals and three consecutive baskets for the Lady Purple Riders. Harrison Central struggled to inbound the ball against taller defenders, and the Huskies’ shooting was off the mark. Shot-blocking and defensive pressure from Martins Ferry disrupted several attempts.

Shayla Nameth led Harrison Central with 6 points. Ella Smith scored 4, Mikayla Pelegreen had 2, and Destinee Robinson and Zoe Whipkey scored 1 point each.