The gift of 'Gab': Oborne, defense have plenty to say in Red Devils' win over Lions
Jan. 30—SUMMIT — Russell never skipped a beat when coach Mandy Layne had to turn to her bench amid early foul trouble against Boyd County.
Solid performances from Gabby Oborne and Bethany Allen complimented suffocating defensive pressure as the Red Devils defeated the Lions, 67-47, at Boyd County Middle School on Monday night.
"I told them today that they will be center stage sooner than later," Layne said. "They needed to start looking for their shot and start attacking. I was really proud of the way that (Gabby) played on both ends of the floor."
"Bethany played a heck of a game," she added. "She came in and really guarded the post well. She started looking for her shot and kept gaining confidence and getting rebounds. She gave us a huge lift."
Oborne was 7 of 10 from the field, including a pair of triples, and posted 16 points. The sophomore netted 11 of her tally in the second quarter. She scored six straight to stretch the Russell lead to 31-15 midway through the frame.
"I just have to show up for my team more than myself," Oborne said. "I go out and play and do what I can."
Oborne's role on the team keeps increasing and playing alongside teammates Shaelyn Steele and Bella Quinn helps her confidence level.
"They push me more," Oborne said. "They show me that I can be a player, too, and a great teammate just like them."
Steele opened the game with a pair of 3-pointers. The baskets were part of a 12-0 run to jumpstart the Red Devils in the opening minutes. The Lions steadied themselves and finished the stanza, outscoring their opponent, 11-8, over the last four minutes of the quarter.
Russell extended its advantage after Oborne's scoring surge with a Kennedy Darnell triple and Steele's steal and layup. Steele repeated the feat and Oborne supplied one more long bomb to give the Red Devils a 45-25 lead at halftime.
"I thought we did a good job of applying the pressure and not fouling," Layne said. "I felt like we were able to frustrate them and make everything hard. It also allowed us to take Jasmine (Jordan) out of the game which was a huge benefit."
"We wanted to apply more pressure and be up on their guards," Oborne added. "We felt like they are stronger in the post."
Boyd County enters the season's home stretch without All-Area guard Taylor Bartrum. The senior suffered a torn ACL during a game at Ashland on Jan. 18. She will miss the remainder of the season.
Boyd County had 14 turnovers in the first half and 20 for the contest. The Lions experienced a successful trip over the weekend at St. Albans, West Virginia, winning a pair of games. The team is still learning how to navigate the rest of the slate without Bartrum at the helm.
"Nobody feels sorry for us," Boyd County coach Pete Fraley said. "We've got to figure it out. We had 14 turnovers in the first half. It's 14 possessions where you don't get a shot up. We just have to learn to take care of the ball better. They are good and we know they are good. Russell plays a style that is not conducive for us."
Russell's hot shooting continued into the second half. The Red Devils connected on four triples in the third quarter by four different players. They were 11 of 23 from beyond the arc.
The long-range efficiency also kept the Lions from mounting a comeback. Boyd County (17-6) could never cut into the deficit over the last two quarters.
"We did some things that were completely out of character and that we wouldn't normally do," Fraley said. "Russell hit a lot of shots tonight. They shot the ball really well tonight with 11 3s. I didn't feel like we guarded them very well. We are still trying to find an identity for what we are going to do. The good thing is that there's a month left in the season for us to figure it out."
The Lions scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and Jordan recorded all of them. The senior added another double-double to her stellar season with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Audrey Biggs added 10 points and grabbed six boards.
Steele matched Jordan for game-high scoring honors with 28 points. She also claimed a double-double by hauling in 10 caroms, including her 1,000th career rebound, for Russell (17-6). Steele was the main contributor to the Red Devils' 13 steals.
Quinn supplied three 3-pointers and nine points.
Boyd County and Russell will meet again on Feb. 19 at Marvin Meredith Gym. Layne expects another strong test from the Lions.
"You know the personnel so well," Layne said. "When you know the personnel, you don't have to talk about what they do. You've played against the same kids for six years. It's a huge rivalry between us and Boyd. Every time we play, we both will bring our best game."
RUSSELL FG FT REB TP
Steele 10-25 4-5 10 28
Quinn 3-7 0-0 0 9
Sanders 0-0 0-0 3 0
Darnell 2-9 0-0 3 6
Fitzpatrick 2-2 2-2 3 6
Oborne 7-10 0-0 2 16
Price 0-0 0-0 2 0
Howard 0-0 0-0 0 0
Allen 1-3 0-0 4 2
Fleming 0-0 0-0 0 0
Sharp 0-0 0-0 0 0
Team 5
TOTAL 25-57 6-7 32 67
FG Pct: 43.9. FT Pct: 85.7. 3-point Fgs: 11-23 (Steele 4-9, Quinn 3-5, Darnell 2-5, Oborne 2-4) PF: 17. Fouled out: None. Turnovers: 12.
BOYD CO. FG FT REB TP
J. Ray 1-9 0-0 1 3
Stevens 1-6 0-0 4 3
Opell 0-0 1-2 3 1
Jordan 8-12 11-13 11 28
Biggs 3-14 4-4 6 10
Moore 0-5 2-3 1 2
Hamilton 0-0 0-0 0 0
Stephens 0-0 0-0 0 0
Gilbert 0-0 0-0 0 0
A. Ray 0-0 0-0 0 0
Team 3
TOTAL 13-46 18-22 30 47
FG Pct: 28.3. FT Pct: 81.8. 3-point Fgs: 3-17 (J. Ray 1-6, Stevens 1-4, Jordan 1-1, Biggs 0-3, Moore 0-3) PF: 10. Fouled out: None. Turnovers: 20.
RUSSELL 20 25 14 8 — 67
BOYD CO. 11 14 11 11 — 47
Officials: Justin Middleton, Dave Anderson, Jeff Adkins
(606) 326-2671
