BATAVIA, Ohio– The Miami-Hamilton Harriers beat the UC Clermont Lady Cougars by a score of 76-68 on Wednesday evening.
A back and-forth first quarter ended with a 19-17 lead for UC Clermont. The Lady Cougars and Harriers each traded small leads in the second quarter. Miami-Hamilton went into the locker room with a slim 31-29 advantage.
Beri Ngwa made a basket to give the Harriers a 50-36 lead with 3:28 left in the third quarter. The Lady Cougars went on a huge run to cut the lead to 53-51 heading into the fourth and final quarter. Makenzee Maschino made a 2-pointer to put Miami-Hamilton up by 9 (62-53). Lucy Rosen hit a shot to get the Cougars within 4 (72-68) with just 47 seconds remaining. Kirsten Cross and Beri Ngwa both made a pair of clutch free throws down the stretch to seal the 76-68 victory for the Harriers.
Tamira Scott shot a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line while finishing with 38 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. McKaila Hatton connected on a team-high four 3-pointers while finishing with 12 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Lucy Rosen had a team-high 8 rebounds and 6 assists.
Makenzee Maschino shot 8-for-12 from the field while finishing with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Beri Ngwa had 16 points, a team-high 8 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Taj Pewett also had 16 points with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Kirsten Cross recorded a double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.
UC Clermont shot 90.9% from the free-throw line, but did turn the ball over 28 times. Miami-Hamilton had 34 points in the paint compared to just 10 by the Lady Cougars.
The Lady Cougars fall to 7-10 overall and will travel to play Kent State Tuscarawas on February 7th at 1 p.m. The Harriers improve to 10-4 overall and will host Ohio Christian on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
Written by Eli Altherr