MARTINS FERRY’S Ella McFarland is surrounded Edison players Savanna Ankrom, left, and Gracie Fox during Thursday night’s game in Richmond. The Purple Riders prevailed.

RICHMOND — The Edison girls basketball team has been making noise over the last three weeks or so, winning seven times in its last nine games after starting the season 0-7.

Thursday night was a bump in the road, and credit is due to a Martins Ferry squad that has had its struggles of late.

“Coach (Dave) Reasbeck is a fantastic coach. The moves I made on defense, it was like chess. I made a move, then he made a better move on offense,” Edison head coach Mark Smyth said. “They’re tough to stop. There record does not show how good they are, and they’ve played some really tough teams.”

The Purple Riders seemingly ran away with the contest in the second quarter and never looked back for a 66-37 Buckeye 8 victory. They did everything right, while the Wildcats (7-10) struggled getting the ball in the net.

“I don’t think I ever won here in seven or eight tries,” Reasbeck said. “Last week we hit rock bottom and just weren’t competing. Ever since then, we’re getting better. This week, we’re rounding out and playing much better.

“If you would have seen us last week, it was bad. We couldn’t get out of the 20s. But, we had a little heart to heart, maybe loud at times. We have freshmen competing and juniors playing their roles. I like the path that we’re on.”

The Purple Riders (7-8) forced eight turnovers in the opening frame and led, 12-9, heading into the second. That was when they took full advantage, collecting seven more turnovers and outscoring Edison, 23-8, for a 35-17 halftime advantage.

Alysea Fiedorczyk produced 12 of her team-high 16 points in the opening half. The other Wildcats combined for just five, as well as finishing 13 of 30 overall from the charity stripe. Ferry was 11 of 19.

Edison also was unable to stop Ferry’s inside game, specifically Allarah Jones. She finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.

“For a lack of a better word, (Jones) is a stud,” Smyth said.

“When she gets the ball in her hand five or 10-feet away, it’s going in the basket. She is a good, good player.”

It also did not help the Wildcats that their best post player, Olivia Huff, recorded three fouls by halftime and picked up her fourth early in the third. She finished with three points and six boards. Her replacement, Emma Scott, also finished with four fouls.

“That’s a testament to Martins Ferry. I tell our girls all the time that if you want calls in the paint, you have to take the play to the defender. It’s either a charge or a block. There’s no gray area,” Smyth said. “It has to be physical to the defender going up strong. (Ferry’s) girls, when they got the ball in the paint, they were physical attacking our girls.”

Jones’ 17 points tied for the team lead for Ferry, along with Danielle Lude and Maria Clark. Lude also collected six rebounds, while Clark had seven and two assists. Jones also dished out a pair of assists.

“We go as Lude goes. Clark and Jones are going to score, but if Lude plays good, we’re going to be pretty good,” Reasbeck said. “If she doesn’t play good, then we won’t be this good.”

Also for Ferry, Hunter Pollack contributed 10 points, two rebounds and a game-high six dimes.

For the Wildcats, Fiedorczyk collected six rebounds to go along with her 16-point effort. Savanna Ankrom had seven points, six rebounds and three assists. Gracie Fox added six points and four boards.

“They’re unbelievably improved. During warm-ups, I told the coach that it’s night and day with what he’s doing from last year, “Reasbeck said. “Both Smiths are doing an outstanding job. We just played an outstanding game. I have nothing but nice things to say about them.”

Martins Ferry plays East Liverpool at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Buckeye 8 tournament at St. Clairsville.