FairlandƵs Isa Taliaferro (1) dribbles as PortsmouthƵs Hayven Carter (5) defends in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
Portsmouth's Daysha Reid, right, drives as Fairland's Addyson Cornell, center, and Addison Godby, left, defend in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
PortsmouthƵs Daysha Reid (3) passes as FairlandƵs Addyson Cornell, center, and Addison Godby, right, defend in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
FairlandƵs Isa Taliaferro (1) dribbles as PortsmouthƵs Hayven Carter (5) defends in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
TIM GEARHART | For The Herald-Dispatch
Portsmouth's Daysha Reid, right, drives as Fairland's Addyson Cornell, center, and Addison Godby, left, defend in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
TIM GEARHART | For The Herald-Dispatch
PortsmouthƵs Daysha Reid (3) passes as FairlandƵs Addyson Cornell, center, and Addison Godby, right, defend in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball semifinals on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Athens, Ohio.
ATHENS, Ohio Ƶ Jon BuchananƵs dilemma Saturday was a little bit like deciding if he wanted to risk stepping in a bear trap or meeting a bear.
Going into Portsmouth-Fairland Round 3 in the OHSAA Division V girls basketball state semifinals, the Dragons coach had to decide what he wanted to try to take away from a high-octane Trojans offense Ƶ the lethal driving ability it relied upon to run away from Fairland early in a 67-49 decision on Dec. 21 in Rome Township, or its perimeter prowess.
After the first meeting, Fairland employed a zone defense in a Feb. 3 rematch in Portsmouth. It worked well enough that the Dragons led the Trojans in the second half before falling, 47-35.
So Fairland tried that tactic again in the highest-stakes meeting of the season trilogy on Saturday.
The strategy may have been sound Ƶ keep PortsmouthƵs skilled slashers from creating offense going toward the rim Ƶ but the Trojans made sure it didnƵt work.
PortsmouthƵs Daysha Reid drained three 3-pointers over top of that zone in the first quarter, and by the time Sienna Allen bombed in another one from about Toledo on the outline of the Buckeye State on Ohio UniversityƵs midcourt design, Buchanan had seen enough to know it wasnƵt FairlandƵs day.
It got worse from there as the Trojans outdistanced the Dragons 63-40 at the Convo in a state semifinal that was only that close because Fairland outscored the Trojans 13-5 in the final frame after it was already out of hand.
Ƶ(Portsmouth) made us wrong by making shots early,Ƶ Buchanan said. ƵThey made, what, four 3s there in the first five minutes?Ƶ
Close. ReidƵs trey with 10 seconds to play in the first quarter was her third of the frame, as well as the TrojansƵ fourth in as many attempts. It put Portsmouth up 22-8.
ƵAnd we need them to make maybe one or two,Ƶ Buchanan continued. ƵAnd, they make one or two, weƵre right. If they make five, theyƵre right. Well, they made five, or four. Whatever they made was the right thing.Ƶ
After the Trojans went 4 from 4 from Ƶthe third ring of Saturn,Ƶ as venerable Ohio University public-address announcer Lou Horvath often puts it, in the first quarter, they were just 1 for 5 from the perimeter after that.
But Portsmouth had built a big enough lead that the Dragons couldnƵt get closer than 12 points the rest of the way, while the Trojans kept up the onslaught as they began to find more opportunities closer to the basket.
Portsmouth shot 60% from the field Ƶ 24 for 40 Ƶ while Fairland made 11 fewer shots on three more attempts for 30.2%.
Hindsight is 20-20, but Buchanan second-guessed himself after watching the Trojans torch the nets early.
ƵNow, we zoned them pretty much the whole time last time and it was a pretty close game,Ƶ Buchanan said. ƵBut if I had to do it all over again, we were playing man(-to-man) really well last week, and maybe we live with, just do what you do best.
ƵI know that theyƵre really good offensively and theyƵve got some really good individuals and that would kinda lend you to not want to play man, but if I had to do it all over again, thatƵs probably what I wouldƵve done. I probably wouldƵve just rolled it out there like we normally do and just trust what we do, and what I think we do best.Ƶ
Even if one particular strategic decision didnƵt work out for the Dragons on Saturday, what theyƵre doing as a program appears to be working, as borne out by three trips to the state semifinals in as many years.
While the Trojans take a 26-1 record to the state title game on March 15 against Creston Norwayne, the Dragons enter the offseason looking to figure out how to add one or two more wins to the end of next year.
ƵNow itƵs a process of, well, you got six, seven months to figure out how much better are you gonna get?Ƶ Buchanan asked rhetorically. ƵAre you gonna put in the work, maybe more so than anybody else does?
ƵAnd we always have. ThatƵs why weƵve been here (in the state semifinals) five times. We always have done that. And hopefully theyƵll make the decision to continue to do that.Ƶ
Zack Klemme is HD Media’s sports director. Reach him at zklemme@hdmediallc.com. Follow @zklemme on X.
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