Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

As the old saying goes, “Nice try but no cigar.”
The Rose Hill Christian Lady Royals kept coming back at St. Joseph, but the Lady Flyers weren’t going to have any of it.
After watching a 10-point lead dwindle to 2 on two occasions and then become a tie, the Lady Flyers answered the challenge each time as they beat the Lady Royals 46-42 on Thursday in the semifinals of the St. Joseph Holiday Tournament.
“I was proud of the fact they didn’t fold when the game got close or when they tied it. We don’t do that last year,” said Lady Flyers’ coach Bart Burcham.
“But when you get a 10-point lead, you have to expand the lead. But we’re getting there.”
Belpre downed Maysville (Ky.) St. Patrick 60-42 in the first game setting up Saturday’s noon title game between the two winners.
St. Joseph (5-4) jumped out to a 13-4 first quarter lead as Bella Whaley had 7 points and Emmy Whaley 4.
Bellamee Sparks had a pair of 3-pointers and Delaynee Sparks had 4 points in the second quarter as Rose Hill (6-3) rallied to get within 18-16.
But Faith Mahlmeister scored 4 points as five different players scored to give St. Joseph a 26-16 halftime lead.
St. Joseph managed just 7 points in the third quarter as Rose Hill got another pair of triples from Bellamee Sparks and Baylee Trimble had 5 points including a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 33-32 at the end of the quarter.
Rose Hill tied the game 33-33 with 6:52 to play only to have Emma Whaley Bella Whaley score 5 points each with Mahlmeister getting a basket as the Lady Flyers held on for the win.
Emma Whaley had 17 points to lead the Lady Flyers and Bella Whaley scored 14.
Mahlmeister had a game-high 12 rebounds with Chloe Sheridan and Bella Whaley grabbing 7 apiece and Aubrey Sutton 6.
Rose Hill was led by junior Bellamee Sparks with 17 points. Delaynee Sparks had 10 points and reached a milestone in the game with her 1,000th career point.
Friday’s game will have the Huntington St. Joseph boys playing Portsmouth Notre Dame at 5:30 followed by the host Flyers and Rose Hill.
On Saturday, Maysville St. Patrick plays Rose Hill at 10 a.m. in the girls’ consolation game followed by the Lady Flyers and.
The boys’ consolation game is at 2 p.m. and the championship game at 4 p.m.
Rose Hill 4 12 16 10 = 42
Home team 13 13 7 13 = 46
ROSE HILL (6-3): Ashleigh Riffe 0 0 2-2 2, Delaynee Sparks 3 0 4-4 10, Heather McFarland 3 1 0-0 9, Bellamee Sparks 1 4 3-9 17, Hallie Barido 0 0 0-0 0, Isabel Hensley 2 0 0-0 4. Totlas: 8 5 9-15 42. Fouls: 14. Fouled out: None.
ST. JOSEPH (5-4): Kaitlyn Sheridan 2 0 1-3 5, Faith Mahlmeister 3 0 0-2 6, Emma Whaley 5 1 405 17, Bella Whaley 4 1 3-4 114. Totals: 16 2 8-14 46. Rebounds: 39 (Mahlmeister 12, C. Sheridan 7, B. Whaley 7, Sutton 6, Jenkins 3, Damron 2, E. Whaley 2). Assists: 11 (B. Whaley 3, K. Sheridan 2, Mahlmeister 2, C. Sheridan 2, Sutton 1, E. Whaley 1). Turnovers: 5. Fouls: 12. Fouled out: None.