RedStorm hammers Harriers in season opener

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - For some, leaving the gym unhappy after a 31-point victory might be hard to fathom.
     But knowing what lies ahead for his team in terms of its non-conference schedule, University of Rio Grande head coach David Smalley couldn't help being disappointed with how his club closed out its season-opening 102-71 rout of Miami University-Hamilton, Wednesday night, in non-conference women's basketball action at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     The RedStorm blitzed the Harriers in the opening two quarters, racing to a 55-20 lead at the intermission.
     Their lead then grew to as many as 42 points, 73-31, following a pair of free throws by sophomore Kaylee Darnell (Wheelersburg, OH) with 4:36 left in the third quarter.
     But Miami-Hamilton (0-2) outscored Rio 40-29 the rest of the way, including a 31-point fourth quarter outburst after scoring just 40 points in the first three periods combined.
     "We had no heart at all in the second half," Smalley said. "We had great intensity on offense to start the game and I'm sitting there thinking let's hold them in the 40's or low 50's and they end up outscoring us in the second half and finishing with 71 points. I thought we were a better defensive team than that."
     The Harriers, who hit just 14 of their 47 field goal attempts through the first three quarters (29.8%), went 11-for-19 from the field overall (57.9%) and 4-for-7 from three-point range over the final 10 minutes.
     "It was a win, but we have to guard against the lapses we had tonight," the veteran coach added. "If we do that when we go to Pikeville on Saturday, it'll be Pikeville 102 and Rio Grande 71. At the end of the day, I want to talk about winning a national championship. For that to happen, we have to be better defensively."
     However, there were positives to discuss.
     All 16 players in uniform for the RedStorm saw action and 10 scored, including six in double figures.
     Senior Ella Skeens (Chillicothe, OH), the reigning River States Conference Player of the Year, led the way with a game-high 19 points to go along with four assists and three steals, while sophomore Harlei Antritt (Newark, OH) netted 15.
     Darnell and senior Reagan Willingham (Ashville, OH) finished with 12 points each, while junior Aleea Crites (Parkersburg, WV) tallied 11 points and a game-high seven rebounds.
     Junior Lexi Woods (Waverly, OH) also had 11 points in her return to the court after a one-year layoff and sophomore Azyiah Williams (Ripley, OH) equaled Skeens with four assists.
     Rio Grande shot just over 60 percent from the field in the opening half and finished the game at 46.3 percent (38-for-82). The RedStorm also had 26 assists as a team and enjoyed a 55-36 edge in rebounding.
     "That's us. That's what we do," said Smalley. "We did do some good things and it was a 'W', it just wasn't pretty. But the sun will rise tomorrow and we'll get back to work."
     Laci Reinhart and A'Vyonna Kinsey scored 15 points each to pace Miami-Hamilton, while Julianna Kemper had nine points and a team-high six rebounds.
     Kaitlyn Simpkins also had six rebounds for the Harriers, as well as a game-high five assists and three steals.
     Rio Grande's game on Saturday at the University of Pikeville is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tipoff.