Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

LATHAM — Six is a good number when talking about how many points you get for a touchdown. It’s not a good number for the number of complete practices prior to your first basketball game.
With shutdowns wreaking the pre-season workouts, the St. Joseph Lady Flyers have had just six days when the complete team was together for practice.
The lack of work and cohesiveness was evident as the Lady Flyers fell 40-35 to the Western Lady Indians in a Southern Ohio Conference game on Thursday.
“It’s going to take a little time to get people comfortable in new spots, but we’ll get there,” said Lady Flyers’ coach Bart Burcham. “You could tell we’ve had just a couple of practices with everyone there.”
The Lady Flyers were led offensively by the cousins tandem of Bella Whaley with 16 points and Emma Whaley with 14.
Emma Whaley had 4 rebounds while Gracie Damron and Bella Whaley pulled down 3 each.
Kenzi Ferneau scored 18 for Western (1-2, 1-0).
Damron and both Whaleys had baskets as St. Joseph took a 7-6 first quarter lead.
Emma Whaley scored 6 points and Bella Whaley 4 as the Lady Flyers maintained their one-point lead at the half, 17-16.
Taylor Grooms and Ferneau had 3-pointers for Western.
The third quarter proved the difference as St. Joseph managed just 5 points while Ferneau hit a pair of 3-pointers and Alyssa Marhoover scored 4 points to put Western up 26-22.
Bella Whaley got hot and scored 8 points including a trifecta in the fourth quarter, but Ferneau hit a trey and scored 5 points while Brooklyn Tackett had 4 points and the Lady Indians held on for the win.
St. Joseph will host Portsmouth Notre Dame at 6 p.m. Monday.
St. Joseph 7 10 5 13 = 35
Western 6 10 10 14 = 40
ST. JOSEPH (0-1, 0-1): Emilee Blankenship 0 0 0-0 0, Emma Whaley 6 0 2-3 14, Laiken Unger 0 0 0-0 0, Gracie Damron 2 0 0-0 4, Bella Whaley 6 1 1-5 16, Chloe Sheridan 0 0 1-3 1, Ava Weber 0 0 0-0 0, Addie Philabaun 0 0 0-0 0, Riley Daniels 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 1 4-11 35. Rebounds: 16 (E. Whaley 4, Damron 3, B. Whaley 3, Riley 2, Blankenship 2). Fouls: 18. Fouled out: None.
WESTERN (1-2, 1-0): Alicia Francis 1 0 3-5 5, Sakayla Beckett 0 0 0-1 0, Sophie Rhoades 0 0 0-0 0, Jordyn Rittenhouse 0 0 0-0 0, Brooklyn Tackett 2 0 2-6 6, Taylor Grooms 0 1 0-0 3, Alyssa Marhoover 3 0 2-2 8, Kenzi Ferneau 3 4 0-2 18. Totals: 9 5 7-16 40. Fouls: 15. Fouled out: Marhoover.