West Liberty-Salem’s girls state-ranked basketball team got rolling early and put away host Mechanicsburg 56-45 on Thursday in an Ohio Heritage Conference matchup.
The Tigers, who are ranked third in the Division III state poll, stay unbeaten at 18-0 overall and 14-0 in the OHC. The Indians slide to 13-5, 11-2.
WL-Salem dominated the opening quarter 15-4 and outscored M’burg in the second quarter 11-7. That gave the Tigers a 26-11 halftime advantage.
The third quarter saw WL-Salem push its lead to 18 points at 45-27.
The Indians were able to make up some ground in the fourth quarter with an 18-11 run, but it wasn’t enough to catch the Tigers.
Selena Weaver fueled the Tigers with 21 points, Grace Estes scored 10 points and Aubrey Williams added nine points.
The junior varsity game saw Mechanicsburg beat WL-Salem 36-25. Chaley Wade paced the Tigers with nine points.
WL-Salem hosts Legacy Christian on Saturday for a non-league game.
WL-SALEM 56, MECHANICSBURG 45
WL-SALEM (18-0, 14-0)
E. Hollar 3 0-0 6; Williams 3 0-0 9; Estes 3 1-2 10; S. Weaver 10 1-3 21; Smith 2 0-0 6; Cole 2 0-0 4. Totals: 23 2-5 56.
MECHANICSBURG (13-5, 11-2)
DeLong 2 1-2 5; Rausch 3 3-5 11; Skillings 1 0-0 2; G. Forrest 8 4-4 23; Conley 1 0-1 2; Kramer 1 0-0 2. Totals: 16 8-12 45.
Tigers 15 11 19 11 — 56
Indians 4 7 16 18 — 45
Three pointers: WL-Salem 8 (Williams 3, Estes 3, Smith 2); Mechanicsburg 5 (G. Forrest 3, Rausch 2).