Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

Listening to Ironton coach Mark LaFon talk, you might have thought his Fighting Tigers had lost.
Despite inconsistent play, Ironton beat the feisty Chesapeake Panthers 52-38 in an Ohio Valley Conference game on Tuesday.
“(Chesapeake) did flip a switch and got going. We just didn’t play with any consistency,” said LaFon.
“We have to get better at handling a lead. You can’t just go crazy. They played with the discipline and we didn’t. It was an aggravating game and we have to learn from it.”
Ironton (7-3, 3-1) was led by Ryan Bryant with 14 points and nine rebounds. Kyle Adkins and Raphael Glover scored 12 points each.
Doug Mills scored 19 points to lead the Panthers (2-8, 1-3).
Chesapeake jumped out to an 8-2 lead with Mills and Tanner Harr hitting 3-pointers.
But a layup by Joel Blankenship ignited a 17-0 run that extended into the second quarter then Bryant’s put-back gave Ironton a 19-8 lead.
But turnovers plagued both teams in the second quarter and the scoring slowed to a crawl.
A steal and layup by Charlie Large followed by basket and foul shot by Bryant extended the lead to 24-11. Mills hit another 3-pointer with a minute to go in the half and Ironton’s lead was 24-14 at the break.
But Chesapeake would not quit.
With Bryant on the bench in foul trouble, the Panthers used a couple of 3-pointers by Mills to get within 32-26 at the end of the quarter.
Austin Jackson hit another triple to make it 32-31 and Mills driving layup with 4:43 to play gave Chesapeake its first lead since the first quarter at 35-34.
Adkins made a driving layup, Ethan Wilson and Ryan Bryant two free throws each, Glover hit two straight layups and Bryant made two more foul shots as Ironton went on a 12-0 run to lead 46-35 with less than two minutes to play.
Mills hit his fifth 3-pointer to stop the run but Ironton scored the final six points of the game to complete an 18-3 run.
Ironton was 18-of-39 from the field and 15-of-22 at the line. They were 1-of-5 from 3-point range.
Chesapeake was 14-of-45 from the floor including 7-of-26 from the 3-point line.
In league games on Friday, Ironton visits South Point and Chesapeake goes to Coal Grove.
Chesapeake    8    6    12    12    =    38
Ironton       17    7    8    20    =    52
CHESAPEAKE (2-8, 1-3): Casey McComas 1 0 0-0 2, Doug Mills 1 5 2-2 19, Taner Harr 0 1 0-0 3, Cecil Fletcher 1 0 1-1 3, Austin Jackson 2 1 0-0 7, Zach Wright 2 0 0-0 4, James Harr 0 0 0-0 0, David Dotson 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14-45 3-3 38. 3-point goals: 7-26. Rebounds: 7-O, 15-D = 22 (Wright 6, Mills 5). Team/deadball rebounds: 5. Assists: 2. Steals: 4 (McComas 2). Turnovers: 19. Fouls: 19. Fouled out: None.
IRONTON (7-3, 3-1): Ethan Wilson 0 0 5-7 5, Joel Blankenship 1 0 2-2 4, Kyle Adkins 5 0 2-4 12, Raphael Glover 6 0 0-0 12, Ryan Bryant 3 1 5-7 14, Charlie Large 1 0 0-0 2, Jourdyn Barrow 1 0 1-2 3, Hunter Humphreys 0 0 0-0 0, Andrew Scott 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18-39 15-22 52. 3-point goals: 1-5. Rebounds: 8-O, 23-D = 31 (Bryant 9, Wilson 6, Large 6). Team/deadball rebounds: 1. Assists: 7 (Wilson 2, Bryant 2, Blankenship 2). Steals: 10 (Wilson 3, Adkins 2, Blankenship 2). Turnovers: 17. Fouls: 10. Fouled out: None.