Lady Huskies roll past St. Clairsville 59-39

The cold Thursday, Jan. 29, did not slow Harrison Central in its road game at St. Clairsville. Inside the John Jenkins Center, the Lady Huskies warmed to the task and posted a 59-39 win over the host Lady Red Devils.

Harrison Central placed three players in double figures, including two who set personal single-game scoring highs.

Ella Smith led the Huskies with 16 points, hitting 3 of 6 from 3-point range and adding a free throw. Shayla Nameth scored a personal-best 12 points, connecting on 6 of 12 shots. Mikayla Pelegreen added 10 points. Pelegreen, a junior, has reached double figures multiple times in her career.

“It’s a young team and we have some injuries. There are no guarantees at all,” coach Chace Smith said. “I think everybody in the valley has been off for several days, so we had one practice yesterday and we wanted to come here, get the rust off and get back on the winning track.”

Harrison Central jumped out early, taking a 17-2 lead after the first quarter.

St. Clairsville’s Anna Kain hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the second quarter to pull the Red Devils within 13, and St. Clairsville trimmed the deficit to 31-18 by halftime.

“Mikayla Pelegreen did a great job guarding Kain all night,” Smith said. “She answered a call — she has done this before. She is a lockdown defender. It’s exhausting to have to face-guard somebody and put all that effort into it. She did that and she got 10 points, so she did a great job.”

“We came out with intensity and really set the tone early on,” Smith said. “St. Clairsville responded well and had a couple big shots from Kain — which is what she does. That’s why we face-guarded her. She gets an inch of space and she can let it fly. If she gets hot, then you’re in trouble.”

Bailey Smith added 8 points, including two 3-pointers. Emily Cope scored 6 points, Kara Blackburn had 5 and Ady Stull added 2 free throws.

Cope and Pelegreen led the Huskies with six offensive rebounds each. Cope finished with nine total rebounds, including six on the offensive glass, and added three assists.

For St. Clairsville, Elizabeth Morgan scored 16 points and Kain added 13. Gracie Gray led the Red Devils with four rebounds.

The win left Harrison Central at 8-11, while St. Clairsville fell to 6-13.