As the games remaining to be played in the Panther Pit dwindle down to a precious few, there was still more history made in the Miami Trace High School gymnasium Wednesday night as the Lady Panthers welcomed the team from Hillsboro High School for a match-up in the Frontier Athletic Conference.
Miami Trace senior Victoria Fliehman came into the game with 997 career points.
The suspense of just when she might reach the 1,000-point mark was very short-lived.
On their first possession, Miami Trace got the ball in Fliehman’s hands and, from the corner of the floor, near the visitor’s bench, she launched a three-point shot that found nothing but the bottom of the net.
There was still 7:13 to play in the first quarter.
The game was stopped and Fliehman was presented with a ball and a commemorative poster and was joined on the court by her parents, Tracy and Julie, her sister, Olivia, who drew the start for Wednesday’s game, and her brother, Eli.
After that initial burst of excitement, Miami Trace continued the task at hand, rolling on to a 61-29 victory.
The No. 10 team in the State this week in Division II, as voted by the Associated Press, Miami Trace improved to 11-1 on the season. The Lady Panthers are 6-0 in the Frontier Athletic Conference.
Hillsboro falls to 6-10 overall, 1-6 in the FAC.
Fliehman scored 12 points on the night to give her now 1,009 for her career.
“Vic does everything the right way,” Miami Trace head coach Ben Ackley said. “Since she came here — this is her third year here — she’s a great teammate. Her basketball IQ is off the charts. She’s an exceptional shooter and a very underrated defender. She can guard four of the five positions on the floor.
“Vic is just a winner,” Ackley said. “Everywhere she’s been she’s won and won at a high level. In her three years at Miami Trace, we’ve lost just six games. She’s going to Cedarville and she’ll have a great career there.
“Both Vic and Tanner (Bryant) have made sacrifices to play together and sacrifice personal gain, stat-wise, to try to build something special, which they have. She’s just a great ambassador for our program. We couldn’t ask for more.”
Junior Cassidy Lovett was the game’s leading scorer for Miami Trace with 14 points. She also had seven rebounds.
Sophomore Shay McDonald scored eight points, while junior Tori Evans and senior Tanner Bryant both had six points.
Evans hit two threes and Bryant led Miami Trace with 10 rebounds.
Senior Kaley Burns led Hillsboro with seven points.
Sophomore Josie Hopkins and freshman Delaney Eakins both scored five points for Hillsboro.
Miami Trace led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Madi Marsh scored the first basket for Hillsboro with 4:13 to play in the second quarter.
Miami Trace was in front 34-4 at the half.
With a basket from junior Lena Steele, Miami Trace led 55-10 at the end of three quarters of play.
“Miami Trace has a good squad,” Hillsboro head coach J.R. Moberly said. “They came out early and got us down. It was kind of like an avalanche from there.
“Congratulations to Victoria for picking up her 1,000th point,” Moberly said. “We knew this one would be a tough one.
“We’ll come back and get ready for the next game and hopefully get on a winning streak,” Moberly said.
Miami Trace is back in action Saturday at Chillicothe.
Hillsboro will host Western Brown Saturday.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
MT 17 17 21 6 — 61
H 0 4 6 19 — 29
MIAMI TRACE — Olivia Wolffe 1-3-5; Cassidy Lovett 7-0-14; Becca Ratliff 1-1-3; Aubrey McCoy 0-0-0; Shay McDonald 4-0-8; Tori Evans 0 (2)-0-6; Olivia Fliehman 0-0-0; Victoria Fliehman 2 (2)-2-12; Tanner Bryant 2-2-6; Aubrey Schwartz 0-0-0; Gracee Stewart 0 (1)-0-3; Morgan Miller 1-0-2; Lena Steele 1-0-2. TOTALS — 19 (5)-8-61. Free throw shooting: 8 of 9 for 89 percent. Three-point field goals: Evans, 2; V. Fliehman, 2; Stewart. Combined field goal shooting: 24 of 65 for 37 percent. Three-point field goal shooting: 5 of 20 for 25 percent. Rebounds: 39 (17 offensive). Assists: 14. Steals: 13. Turnovers: 12.
HILLSBORO — Natalie Sullivan 0-0-0; Kayden Watson 1-2-4; Kelsey Burns 0-0-0; Kira Watson 0-0-0; Josie Hopkins 1-3-5; Lana Grover 0-0-0; Karleigh Hopkins 0-0-0; Madi Marsh 2-0-4; Riley Moberly 0-2-2; Jordan Moberly 1-0-2; Kaley Burns 3-1-7; Delaney Eakins 1-3-5. TOTALS — 9-11-29. Free throw shooting: 11 of 16 for 69 percent. Three-point field goals: none. Combined field goal shooting: 9 of 32 for 28 percent. Three-point field goal shooting: 0 of 6. Turnovers: 22. Offensive rebounds: 8.
Chris Hoppes is the Sports Editor for the Record-Herald in Washington Court House.
