Milee Smith drops 28 points, Unioto girls basketball beats Adena to clinch share of SVC title

CHILLICOTHE − Milee Smith knew someone needed to get the offense rolling during Unioto's 63-49 win over Adena on Tuesday.

The Shermans were short-handed. Fellow starters Mya Hamilton and Alexis Book didn't see the court Tuesday, and the Shermans' chance at a share of the Scioto Valley Conference title lay on the line.

So Smith − tied for the most points per game in the SVC − did what she does best. The sophomore recorded a double-double with 28 points and 10 rebounds to lead Unioto to its second win over Adena and at least a share of the SVC title.

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"We were down two players so far right now, so I knew somebody had to pick it up," Smith said. "We came together as a team, and we just really wanted to win tonight and really wanted to pull that No. 1 spot."

Smith's performance set a new season-high for scoring, elapsing her 25-point performance against Huntington in early December. The sophomore rolled early, cranking out six points in the opening four minutes and helping build an 11-1 lead in that span. She shot 12 of 22 from the field and went 4 for 5 on free throw attempts.

"Milee just had to elevate her game to another level," Unioto coach Jeff Miller said. "We challenged her, and she did that. We told her, 'Once you do that, we're going to feed off of you.'"

Amaris Betts scored 17 points with 11 boards and four assists for the Shermans, and Magnolia Holbert had 12 points and five rebounds. Betts hit all of the Shermans' 3-pointers, ending 3 of 7 beyond the arc.

Adena shot 2 for 15 from the field in the first quarter. Unioto's defense locked it out from 3-point range and held it under 10 points until late in the second. Marly Halcomb paced Adena with 21 points and five rebounds, shooting 5 of 9 beyond the arc. Emma Garrison and Kiera Williams each added six points for the Warriors, who suffered their second loss overall.

"Against a team like that, you can't shoot the ball like we did in the first half, and dig yourself the kind of hole we dig and expect to beat a team like that," Adena coach Andrew Day said. "They're so good offensively that you're not going to hold them to a low score, so you've got to be able to knock down shots when you get them."

The Warriors rebounded after halftime, sinking three 3-pointers to open the half and trim down Unioto's double-digit lead. Halcomb buried four 3-pointers after halftime. Garrison, who'd been held scoreless in the first half, scored four points in the third.

Led by Smith and a surging Holbert, however, the Shermans retained control. Smith scored 16 points in the second half, and Holbert sank another three field goals to spruce up a double-digit lead the Shermans never lost.

Now, for the second year in a row, Unioto has at least a share of the SVC title in hand. Even down two starters, it muscled out a convincing win over a fellow conference frontrunner.

Miller pins the root of the Shermans' success on the bond his players share. It's blended into the culture of the program he's helped build. His players want to succeed, and they want to succeed for each other.

That mindset has paid off time and time again. Tuesday was another example as such.

"I think the biggest thing is these kids care about each other," Miller said. "They love the game of basketball, but bigger than that, they care about each other. It's a really family-type environment. You fight for your family. So, every night, they come out and they want to perform. not so much for themselves, but they want to perform for their friends and their family."

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Smith scores 28, Unioto girls clinch share of SVC title with win over Adena