Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

SOUTH POINT — Mark LaFon has a master’s degree, but it didn’t take an elementary degree to figure out the difference in Friday’s game between the Ironton Fighting Tigers and South Point Pointers.
A quick glance at the stat sheet and LaFon saw seven turnovers in the fourth quarter and 15-of-30 free throw shooting for the game. The end result was a 57-51 Ohio Valley Conference win by the Pointers.
“Turnovers and free throws were the game,” said LaFon. “You can’t turn the ball over in a game like that. We turned it over at the end and they didn’t and that was the difference.”
Normally a good foul shooting team, LaFon shook his head at the dismal foul line performance.
“I don’t want to even talk about that,” said LaFon.
South Point (7-3, 3-2) trailed at the half and led just 42-41 after three quarters.
But the fourth quarter saw Ironton go just 2-of-8 from the field, 6-of-10 at the line along with the seven turnovers.
South Point was 4-of-10 from the field but 3-of-6 from behind the arc. The Pointers were 10-of-23 from 3-point range for the game.
The big key for the Pointers was taking care of the ball with just three turnovers in the fourth quarter and only six in the second half.
Tayshaun Fox had a game-high 20 points to lead the Pointers. Elijah Adams scored 13 and Cody Runyon had 12.
Kyle Adkins scored 13 for Ironton (7-4, 3-2). Ethan Wilson, Ryan Bryant and Charlie Large all scored eight points each.
Large hit a trifecta to start the game for Ironton but the Pointers went up 7-3. Ironton tied the game at 7-7 on a put-back by Bryant only to have baskets by Fox, Adams and Logan Wade make it 13-10.
Adams hit a 3-pointer for a 16-12 lead and Runyon’s baseline shot pushed the Pointers’ lead to 18-13.
Bryant’s 15-footer cut the deficit to 18-15 at the end of the quarter.
Runyon continued his hot shooting with a 14-footer and back-to-back 3-pointers as South Point surged to a 26-19 lead.
“We didn’t want to let the Adams kid get going. Some of those 3s were six and seven feet behind the line. You can’t do anything about that,” said LaFon.
Ironton got a layup by Andrew Scott to trigger a 14-3 run to end the half and the Fighting Tigers had a 33-29 halftime lead.
A steal a layup by Fox and a triple by Jared Whitt gave the Pointers a 34-33 lead to start the third quarter.
A foul shot by Raphael Glover who then made a layup off a nice pass from Large put Ironton back in front. Wilson came up with a steal that he turned into a three-point play and it was 39-34 with 4:42 left in the quarter.
Runyon’s follow-up shot cut the deficit to 39-36 but that’s when Large went down with a possible broken leg at the 3:59 mark. The game had approximately a 25-minute delay as medical personnel attended to Large.
“I hate it for him. He can’t catch a break. He was being aggressive going to the hole,” said LaFon.
Adams hit a 3-pointer and Fox made a long triple before the end of the quarter that gave South Point a 42-41 lead.
A foul shot by Bryant and two free throws by Adkins put Ironton up 45-42 with 5:10 to play.
Adams hit a long 3-pointer to tie the game but Glover’s put-back and two foul shots by Wilson had Ironton in front 49-45 with three minutes to play.
But 3-pointers by Fox and Douglas Shaffer gave the Pointers the lead for good at 51-49.
Fox made four foul shots and it was 55-49 with 20 seconds left. Joel Blankenship scored for Ironton with 13 seconds to go but Shaffer’s run-out layup seconds later sealed the outcome.
Ironton hosts Portsmouth on Tuesday and South Point visits Rock Hill next Friday.
Ironton       15    18    8    10    =    51
South Point    18    11    13    15    =    57
IRONTON (7-4, 3-2): Ethan Wilson 2 0 4-5 8, Kyle Adkins 1 3 2-4 13, Charlie Large 1 1 3-5 8, Raphael Glover 3 0 1-5 7, Ryan Bryant 2 0 4-9 8, Joel Blankenship 1 0 0-0 2, Jourdyn Barrow 1 00-0 2, Andrew Scott 1 0 1-2 3, Hunter Humphreys 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16-39 15-30 51. 3-point goals: 4-7. Rebounds: 12-O, 16-D = 28 (Bryant 6, Glover 5). Team/deadball rebounds: 4. Assists: 7 (Wilson 4). Steals: 9 (Barrow 3, Adkins 3). Turnovers: 12. Fouls: 16. Fouled out: Wilson (4th 0:20).
SOUTH POINT (7-3, 3-2): Jared Whitt 1 1 0-0 5, Tayshaun Fox 2 3 7-8 20, Elijah Adams 2 3 0-1 13, Logan Wade 1 0 0-0 2, Caleb Eplion 0 0 0-0 0, Douglas Shaffer 1 1 0-0 5, Cody Runyon 3 2 0-0 12, Cade Brandt 0 0 0-0 0, Dustin McCarty 0 0 0-0 0, Tanner Hall 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-43 7-9 57. 3-point goals: 10-23. Rebounds: 8-O, 17-D = 25 (Adams 6, Eplion 5). Team/deadball rebounds: 5. Assists: 5 (Fox 2, Adams 2). Steals: 4 (Fox 3). Turnovers: 14. Fouls: 21. Fouled out: Wade (4th 5:16), Whitt (4th 5:10).