Miami Trace alumni Shaylee McDonald attacks the basket for Kentucky Wesleyan during a game against Lake Erie on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. Against Tiffin on Saturday, Jan. 14, McDonald scored 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds, leading her team to an 81-50 victory over the Lady Dragons.
Photo by Kentucky Wesleyan College
OWENSBORO, KY – Taking on the Tiffin Dragons is never an easy feat for the Panthers, as the teams have split their last eight games against each other. Kentucky Wesleyan didn’t give the Dragons a chance on Saturday, however, as KWC used a big second quarter to propel them to an 81-50 victory.
With the win Wesleyan moves to 12-4 (8-1 G-MAC), while Tiffin drops to 5-13 (2-7 G-MAC).
Tiffin got up on the Panthers early, going up 7-2 just a few minutes into the game. Wesleyan quickly answered and took the lead back at 9-7 with a three from Myah Montgomery. After the Dragons re-took the lead at 14-12 with 1:45 remaining in the quarter, the Panthers closed on a 6-0 run to lead 18-14 after one.
Capped off by a Shiya Hoosier jumper, Wesleyan opened the second quarter on an 11-1 run to extend their lead to 29-15 with 6 minutes remaining in the opening half. From there it was back-and-forth, with Shaylee McDonald and Tahlia Walton hitting some big buckets to keep the Dragons at bay. Corina Conley hit a pair of free throws near the end of the half and the Panthers took a 42-28 lead heading into halftime.
The Panthers never let the Dragons get closer than 14 the entire second half en-route to the 31-point victory. Wesleyan converted the Dragon’s 21 turnovers into 30 points for themselves, proving that the best offense is a great defense. As is typical with the Panthers, it was a balanced scoring performance that led the way, with five players scoring in double-figures.
Shaylee McDonald led the way with 15 points, while Shiya Hoosier (13), Corina Conley (12), Reeva Hammelman (10), and Tahlia Walton (10), were close behind. McDonald added seven rebounds while Cali Nolot and Hammelman each tallied three assists.
For the game, Wesleyan shot 29-54 (53.7%) from the field and 4-19 (21.1%) from three. Tiffin went 19-41 (46.3%) from the floor and 6-16 (37.5%) from behind the arc. Wesleyan doubled the Dragons up in points in the paint, outscoring the Dragons 48-24 in that category.
The Panthers will be back at home next week when they host Hillsdale at the Sportscenter on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. CT.
Miami Trace alumni Shaylee McDonald attacks the basket for Kentucky Wesleyan during a game against Lake Erie on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. Against Tiffin on Saturday, Jan. 14, McDonald scored 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds, leading her team to an 81-50 victory over the Lady Dragons.