Great eight: Sheridan's Vise-Grip on MVL girls basketball remains strong as ever.

THORNVILLE — When Sheridan coach J.D. Walters reminisced about the eight consecutive Muskingum Valley League titles his team has won under his direction, he harkened back to the people.

There are his assistants, particularly Troy Wolfe, who has been with him since he took the job in 2015. But mostly it’s the players.

“It’s always our first goal to start the season,” Walters said following a 45-30 Big School Division win against Tri-Valley on Saturday. “We’ve been consistent and the girls put the work in.”

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He then started naming them off like they were his children, all by first name. From shot-blocking force Katrina Scheuvront to Rachel Cooke to Bailey Beckstedt and the Stinson sisters, the list of All-Ohio players under Walters’ direction has been a who’s who of MVL success.

“That’s (seven) girls over that run who have been full scholarship players,” Walters said.

Jamisyn Stinson has been part of four of those teams, just like sister Faith before her. They are primary reasons why the program has reached elite status.

No other team in league history has won more than four straight titles. Four of Sheridan's came prior to the league split in 2019. Two of those eight teams have reached state tournaments.

"It's special for us, but I feel like it has become the expectation now," said Stinson, a North Florida signee and a four-year starter. "We know that we're good and we be MVL champs every year, and it's always our first goal to be MVL champs."

The win against the visiting Scotties, the only team to offer up consistent challenges during the Generals’ historic run, was like many others during their longstanding rivalry.

Defense told the story, but it was Sheridan’s in the second half that reminded onlookers of the team’s lofty potential and reaffirmed its top five ranking in Division II.

After yielding 18 points in the first half after sitting in a half-court man-to-man, the Generals (20-0, 14-0 MVL-Big) turned to run-and-jump tactics in the third quarter and responded with an 11-1 run that all but put the game away.

Tri-Valley, challenged offensively against top teams after losing All-Ohioan Lexi Howe to graduation, managed just 12 points in the second half.

That overshadowed an otherwise sluggish offensive outing, something Walters said was due largely to his team seeing quality competition for the first time since its win against top-ranked Fort Loramie at the Berlin Hiland Classic in the Country.

The Generals' margin of victory during a seven-game winning streak entering Saturday was 43 points, but none came against teams with winning records.

Tri-Valley (13-7, 11-3) and veteran coach Kurt Kaufman were not in that conversation, having entered 13-6 and allowing 34 points per game.

"It has been hard just getting through these games where there is really no competition," senior Jamisyn Stinson said. "It was good to finally get out and play a team that is going to challenge us and make us better."

That's precisely what they got.

Stinson had two 3s and 12 of the team's 19 points in the first half, while the rest of the team managed only one field goal. Junior point guard Ava Heller had 12 of her 15 in the second and Nora Saffell eight of her 10 in the same span. They combined for a trio of 3s.

It continued the trend of Sheridan's core carrying the load, especially since defensive whiz Mylie Forgrave and top interior reserve Lainey Miller were lost for multiple games due to injury.

Heller has been chief among the contributors. Known mainly for tough defense and ball-handling as a sophomore, she is now a reliable scorer with dual roles.

That was evident by her floor burns against the Scotties.

"Coming into the second half we needed someone to step up, so I took the opportunity to do so,” Heller said. “After me and Halle (Warner) hit our first 3s of the game, I really felt the momentum to the game change."

Walters said that Heller has been the most improved player on the team since the end of last season, when her ankle injury against Chillicothe Unioto in the district finals played a pivotal role in the team's last-second loss.

It has made the team deeper, especially with scoring threats. Heller and Warner have provided the team with two capable point guards who are interchangeable on the perimeter.

"(Ava) really handles the pressure well," Stinson said. "In practices and games she works really hard, and it really shows when she is playing the top talent in our league. She is definitely our most improved player."

sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Sheridan's grip on MVL girls basketball strong as ever.