Yellow Jackets fall short in tournament opener

The Mount Vernon-Logan girls’ basketball game had more ups and downs than the biggest roller coaster at Cedar Point.

The teams traded runs throughout the game, but in the end, it was the Chieftains that came through with the final run and knocked off MV, 48-47, in the Division II sectional tournament game Thursday at Mount Vernon.

“It was a game of runs. They started on a run and we did a great job at the end of the half,” said Mount Vernon coach Nate Short. “Credit to Logan, their defense was stopping us for a while. They ended on the right run and that was it.”

The Chieftains started out the game hot, using long, full court passes to beat the Jackets’ defense down the floor and take a 13-8 lead after one. Logan center Ella Hinton benefited the most, scoring seven points in the opening period.

Logan pushed the lead to 20-11, but Mount Vernon wasn’t ready to go home.

The Yellow Jackets (11-12) scored eight straight, including five from freshman Kate Marhefka, to close the gap. The run continued for MV, as the Jackets pushed the lead to 27-22 at halftime.

“We hit some shots; the ball moved freely; and our defense led to offense,” Short said.

After some halftime adjustments, Logan used a strong third quarter to take a 36-35 lead. MV responded to take a 46-41 lead with four minutes to go, but it wasn’t enough as the Chieftains had the final run to grab the victory.

Maddy Jones led the Jackets with 15 points. Marhefka finished with 14, while Isla Graham had nine, Emma Hall five and Gabby Beck four.

Hinton and Ryann Landis each scored 20 points for Logan.

The loss ended the Jackets' season and sent Logan on to the district semifinals against No. 3 seed Teays Valley.