Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

GALLIPOLIS— If they Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers were just trying to keep pace in the Ohio Valley Conference race, they did just that.
Boy, did they ever.
The Lady Fighting Tigers cruised past the Gallipolis Blue Angels 60-24 on Monday to stay one-half game behind the OVC leaders Coal Grove, South Point and Fairland.
Ironton is now 7-8 overall and 7-3 in the league. Gallipolis falls to 6-10 and 2-7.
Haylee Stevens drained four 3-pointers and scored 14 points to lead three players in double figures for Ironton. Samantha LaFon scored 12 points and Riley Schreck had 11 points. Jada Rogers added nine to the balanced offense.
Maddy Petro scored nine for Gallipolis.
Ironton wasted little time by going ahead 16-4 in the first quarter. Schreck had six points, Stevens knocked down a pair of trifectas and Rogers added four points.
The Lady Tigers went inside in the second quarter as LaFon scored 10 points and Stevens drained another trey and it was 36-11 at intermission.
Preslee Reed made a 3-pointer and Petro scored three points as Gallipolis managed just seven points in the quarter.
Stevens was back at it in the third quarter with a 3-pointer as she scored five points while Schreck got four points and the lead ballooned to 52-16.
Kameren Arden came off the bench to bury a 3-pointer and Rogers had a triple of her own as Ironton matched Gallipolis with eight points in the fourth quarter. Abigail Patterson added a basket for the Lady Tigers.
Petro scored four points for the Blue Angels.
On Thursday, Ironton visits Rock Hill and Gallipolis hosts Coal Grove.
Ironton 16 20 16 8 = 60
Gallipolis 4 7 5 8 = 24
IRONTON (7-8, 7-3): Riley Schreck 5 0 1-2 11, Samantha LaFon 6 0 0-1 12, Shae Myers 0 0 0-0 0, Lydia Hannan 2 0 0-0 4, Reyes Wilson 0 0 0-0 0, Elli Williams 1 0 0-0 2, Kameren Arden 0 1 0-0 3, Haylee Stevens 1 4 0-0 14, Jada Rogers 3 1 0-0 9, Abigail Patterson 1 0 0-0 2, Sophie Caines 0 0 1-2 1. Totals: 21 5 1-3 60. Fouls: 7. Fouled out: None.
GALLIPOLIS (6-10, 2-7): Brooklyn Hill 0 0 0-0 0, Maddy Petro 4 0 1-2 9, A. Hammonds 0 0 0-0 0, Katie Carpenter 0 0 0-0 0, Preslee Reed 1 1 0-0 5, Koren Truance 1 0 1-2 3, Junon Ohmara 0 0 5-6 5, Chasity Adams 1 0 0-0 2. Totals: 7 1 7-10 24. Fouls: 6. Fouled out: None.