JEFFERSONVILLE — The host Jeffersonville Lady Red Devils did what was expected last night, rolling past visiting Providence and winning their 20th of 21 games on senior night, 66-33.
The undersized Pioneers (7-13) were outrebounded by Jeffersonville 43-27 and had difficulty containing the inside trio of Brooke Valentine, Jalynn McClain and Alexis Samuel, who combined for 45 points and 28 rebounds.
“That’s a good game to go into the tournament with,” said Jeffersonville coach Chad Gilbert, whose third-ranked squad awaits the winner of the Floyd Central-Jennings County matchup Friday night in Saturday’s 4A sectional semifinal. “Our kids continued to play unselfishly and they continued to rebound the basketball well. That’s something we’ve got to do in the tournament — we’ve got to defend and rebound well.”
While the Pioneers were never a threat to defeat the powerful hosts throughout last night’s matchup, coach Brad Burden felt his squad held up to the challenge well.
Providence also received a bye in the 2A Brownstown Sectional and will play Friday night’s Paoli-Clarksville winner in Saturday’s semifinal.
Providence committed 11 turnovers in the first quarter alone as the Red Devils built their lead, but regained their composure in the 2nd half and battled Jeffersonville fairly evenly through the fourth quarter.
“I really thought we did pretty well,” Burden said. “There were a couple of times, especially in the first quarter, where we got overwhelmed a couple of times and we didn’t handle their interior presence well.
“But I liked the way we rebounded given their size and athleticism. And I liked the way we came out in the second half.”
As each opponent but one — Floyd Central handed the Devils their only loss Dec. 19 — has found out this season, the Lady Red Devils proved they possess the entire package. Samuel, who along with Danielle Eckert and Shanice Gholson were playing their final game at Johnson Arena, came off the bench to score 16 points to lead her squad.
Valentine added 15 points and 10 rebounds and McClain added 14 points and 9 boards.
The big lead allowed Gilbert to empty his bench early in the fourth quarter, and the Jeffersonville bench was all smiles in the closing minutes.
“They’ve had great careers at Jeff,” Gilbert said of Eckert, Gholson and Samuel. “They’ve won three conference championships and two sectionals during this run, and we’re going to try and get another one next week. They’ve been a great cornerstone to this program and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Providence’s Megan Eve led all scorers, finishing with 18 points.
PROVIDENCE 6 10 9 9 — 33
JEFFERSONVILLE 21 21 16 8 — 66
Providence (7-13) — Graf 0, Ash 6, Flanagan 7, Swartz 0, Eve 18, Wilson 0, Stiner 0, Boone 2, Endris 0, King 0, Schueler 0.
Jeffersonville (20-1) — Valentine 15, McClain 14, Kinnard 7, Williams 4, Roland 7, Gholson 1, Samuel 16, Eckert 0, O’Neal 0, Falkenstein 0, Witherspoon 0, Brendle 2, Tarver 0.
Three-point goals: Providence 5 (Eve 4, Flanagan); Jeffersonville 2 (Kinnard, Roland).
Turnovers — Providence 23, Jeffersonville 8.
Rebounds — Providence 27 (Eve 7); Jeffersonville 43 (Valentine 10)
Junior Varsity
Jeffersonville 62 (14-21-17-10): Midgett 2, O’Neal 2, Falkenstein 17, Roberson 12, Witherspoon 14, Brendle 9, Tarver 6.; Providence 20 (5-6-9-0): Boone 7, Tucker 2, Duncan 2, Bedan 9.
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