Photo by KIM NORTH Martins Ferry’s Maddie Lucas (12) drives to the basket during Monday night’s game against John Marshall inside Tolbert Gymnasium. Lucas led the Purple Riders with 13 points, but they dropped a 60-49 decision to the Monarchs. Defending is John Marshall’s Kalyn Reese who led all scorers with 19.

MARTINS FERRY — John Marshall executed its defensive game plan to near perfection while Kalyn Reese and Rilee Storm took care of things at the other end of the court Monday night as the Monarchs pulled off a 60-49 triumph inside Tolbert Gymnasium

“When we scouted Martins Ferry, our No. 1 goal was to shut down the (Giana) Chirpas girl,” John Marshall (10-4) head coach Brock Melko said. “We held her scoreless in the first half. We had Masyn on her. We had Nora (Shock) on her. We had Lainee (Farmer) on her. We tried to mix some man and zone.”

Chirpas finished with 10 points, but six of those came from the free throw line as John Marshall kept running fresh bodies in to defend her.

Meanwhile, Reese, a 5-10 lefty, scored 10 of her game-high 19 points in the second half and West Virginia Wesleyan recruit Rilee Storm added 16 points and 14 rebounds. Seven of her points came in the final eight minutes.

“Give our girls credit. Short-handed might be an understatement. I don’t think people realized just how short-handed we were,” Melko stressed. “Masyn Inclan was sick as could be and probably shouldn’t have played. Then she cut a finger on her left hand, but she kept sucking it up. Paislee Babiczuk got hurt in the second quarter, and I pretty much told her at halftime that we don’t win this game without her, so she sucked it up and played really well.

“All of our players stepped up when we needed them. That’s a tough win against a tough team,” he added. “This is also a tough place to play.”

Martins Ferry (14-4) saw its 10-game winning streak come to an end, but veteran head coach Dave Reasbeck had a premonition.

“I’ve been around long enough that I knew a game like this was coming,” he said. “We were riding a pretty good high … 10 in a row. It was bound to happen.”

The Purple Riders trailed 25-23 at the half without Chirpas nor SJ Koller denting the scorebook.

“I felt fortunate only trailing by two at the half, but we just didn’t have it tonight,” he added. “John Marshall had a lot to do with us playing the way he did.”

The second half was filled with mini scoring runs by each team. However, every time the Monarchs would look to be pulling away, the Purple Riders would come right back, but couldn’t get any closer than three, 48-45, when Koller hit consecutive treys with just under five minutes left to play.

Storm answered with a conventional three-point play to make it 51-48 and was fouled while making a shot on the next trip down the floor, but misfired on the ensuing charity toss as the visitors led, 53-45.

Babiczuk finished with nine points and a like number of rebounds as the Monarchs enjoyed a 32-25 advantage off the glass. Maddie Lucas, London Hodor and Charlie Roe each had five boards for the Purple Riders.

Lucas led the hosts with 13 points. Chirpas and Hodor each added 10.

Martins Ferry charted 12 turnovers, three more than John Marshall.

The Monarchs travel to the ‘Palace on the Hill’ Thursday night to battle Wheeling Park. The Purple Riders, meanwhile, are idle until next Monday when they trek to Woodsfield to meet Monroe Central.