John Glenn coasts past Indian Valley for 3rd straight D-II sectional title

NEW CONCORD − John Glenn was looking to tap back into the recent success the Lady Muskies have enjoyed in Ohio High School Athletic Association postseason action on Saturday afternoon inside The Tank.

The No. 6 seeded Lady Muskies began tournament play by hosting No. 12 seed Indian Valley in the Division II sectional championship game.

Head coach Gary Sigman and his Lady Muskies' squad are seeking their third-consecutive district championship and with it a third straight appearance in the regionals.

John Glenn took a step forward in that quest by collecting a school-record third straight Division II sectional crown with a convincing 46-23 win over No. 12 seed Indian Valley.

Sigman gives his Lady Muskies credit for postseason success

Sigman had a simple response when asked what has been the key to all the recent tournament success on the hardwood by his Lady Muskies.

"We have been able to enjoy some postseason success due to having some talented, hard-working players the last several years," Sigman explained as he watched his Lady Muskies cutting down the nets following their D-II sectional championship. "It's all about my kids, they work hard, and all the success is because of them being dedicated. We set a new school record with our third-straight sectional title; that says a lot right there.

"We live in a pretty good community and receive a tremendous amount of support," Sigman added. "And the girls really feed off that and are very appreciative to have that kind of support. I'm just thrilled the girls get to cut down these nets in front of our fans here in The Tank. That's a special moment for everyone."

Strong defensive effort sets tone early for John Glenn

John Glenn parlayed a stifling full court defensive effort that gave the underdog Lady Braves plenty of problems in the opening quarter.

The Lady Muskies pitched a shutout in the opening quarter as that defensive effort forced Indian Valley into eight turnovers to jump in front 11-0 heading to the second frame.

"Playing strong defense will result in tournament success. Like they say, defense wins championships," Sigman said. "Sure, we have kids who can score, and that's exciting to watch. But you are going to win and advance on the defensive end. And we came out with great effort and intensity defensively in that first quarter, and that got us off to a great start."

Already leading 5-0 in the early going, John Glenn junior standout Mya Oliver flashed her defensive skillset on back-to-back plays.

Oliver used her quick hands to pick the pocket of Indian Valley's Mason Lancaster on consecutive plays, finishing on the other end with layups to boost the Lady Muskies' lead out to 9-0 with 2:19 left in the first quarter.

John Glenn gets contributions from entire team

While Oliver and fellow junior Riley Zamensky get plenty of kudos with their high-level play, and deservedly so, Sigman pointed out it takes contributions from the entire team to have continued success.

"Winning takes everybody making contributions," Sigman said. "It's not about just one or two kids, it takes the entire team to have sustained success. We have 19 kids in our varsity program, and it takes all of them working together to get the job done.

"Even the kids who might not get a lot of playing time in games, they get us ready every day in practice with their effort," Sigman added. "They don't get any recognition for their hard work, but they should, as it's a credit to them for putting the team first and not being selfish players and worrying about themselves."

Senior Emma Dolan, who often provides most of the dirty work for the Lady Muskies, came through and provided a big offensive spark to open the second-half action.

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John Glenn began the third quarter with a 21-8 lead, and Dolan quickly extended that lead out to 27-8 with back-to-back long-distance triples at the 4:10 mark of the period.

"Emma knocked down a couple big shots to start the third," Sigman said. "She has the ability to do that, but she usually does all the little things for us. But again, that's what it takes to be successful: everyone stepping up and finding ways to contribute.

"This group takes pride in their academic work in the classroom as well as on the basketball floor," Sigman continued. "And I just can't be more proud of them. They are a special group and have changed the narrative with John Glenn girls basketball led by our seniors."

Zamensky led John Glenn (17-6) with a game-high 20-point effort, followed by Oliver with 12 points and six steals. Dolan and senior Aleea Musselman provided some long-distance shooting with a pair of 3-pointers each to finish with six points for the Lady Muskies.

Indian Valley (9-14) was paced by Brooklyn Myers with eight points, and Celeste Rummell added five for the Lady Braves.

Up Next

John Glenn will now take on No. 4 seed Carrollton on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Claymont High School in Division II district semi-final action. Carrollton rolled past Maysville by a 71-37 final score to advance to district play.

KSutton1@gannett.com; X: @KSuttonDJSports; Instagram: kevinsutton_dailyjeffsports

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: John Glenn sets new school record with 3rd consecutive D-II sectional championship