PORTSMOUTH — The weather outside may have still been on the cold side from a recent snowstorm that left many in the area missing two or three days of school as a result of this weekend's winter storm warnings that blanketed much of the Tri-State Area.
However, the basketball contest that occurred between the Fairland Dragons' and Portsmouth Trojans' girls basketball programs certainly was well ahead of December form — as the near-capacity crowd inside Trojan Arena was treated to a dandy atmosphere and environment where the play matched that of mid-March level basketball.
With both teams well into midseason form defensively, buckets were hard to come by.
That made the ensuing counterpunches even harder when both units inevitably went on their runs due to their level of talent and wherewithal from playing deep over the last several postseasons.
However, despite a late second half rally that saw the Portsmouth Trojans' girls basketball program rally from its largest deficit of the contest, 28-18, to take a 39-37 lead off of a a Salem Allen three-ball that tied the contest at 37-all with three-and-a-half minutes to go and a Sienna Allen layup that gave Portsmouth a 39-37 lead with 1:56 left.
Fairland, however, found the winning combination in the latest grudge match between two of OHSAA Division V's — and the state's — best programs.
Isa Taliaferro's tough layup in the lane immediately after tied the score at 39-all and the go-ahead three by Bailey Russell gave Fairland the lead at a 42-39 count, ultimately allowing the Dragons to go on a game-ending 7-0 run en route to a 44-39 win over Portsmouth in the first installation of what looks to be another destined three-game showing between the Lady Dragons and Lady Trojans during the 2025-26 season.
An emotionally drained Amy Hughes seemingly was more frustrated with herself as the eighth-year Portsmouth head coach believed that she didn't prepare the Lady Trojans well enough to execute offensively.
"I just didn't have them ready," Hughes said. "We weren't ready because I didn't have them ready. Our defense helped us battle back, and my kids are tough kids. They are really tough, fast, and quick. They battled back all the way to take the lead through defense. But offensively, I just didn't have them ready. We're just not doing enough offensive stuff in practice. We're not shooting the ball enough and just not concentrating enough. That is a mistake on my part, and we will correct it. I will correct it."
The opening two quarters of the game proved to be a defensive slugfest — as both teams created their best opportunities in transition and on straight line drives throughout much of the opening half.
Both teams battled to two ties and four lead changes in the opening quarter, but ultimately, it was a 5-0 spurt by Fairland that allowed the Lady Dragons to take an 8-7 lead after the opening quarter of play.
Fairland head coach Jon Buchanan's group then took off on a 7-0 run to begin the second quarter, and by the 4:50 mark of the same frame, the Lady Dragons had held the Lady Trojans to one field goal over the game's first 11:10, that coming on a well-designed play by Portsmouth where Sienna Allen spotted up for and drilled a mid-range jumper on cutting action in the middle of the key that served as the first points of the contest for either side.
The Fairland defense limited Allen to four points overall and Portsmouth to seven through the 4:50 mark of the second quarter — with Fairland talent and Stetson signee Addison Godby and fellow senior Bailey Russell delivering for the Lady Dragons.
Godby posted five points during the same stretch of time while Russell capped off a 5-0 Fairland run in the first quarter to give the Lady Dragons a 5-2 lead, then knocked down a the first of her three three-point field goals in the game on the first possession of the second frame with 7:47 to play in the first half, kickstarting a 7-0 run that gave Fairland a 15-7 lead at the 4:50 mark.
Naturally, Allen, being the type of talent that she is as a multi-time All-Ohioan and the OPSWA Southeast District's Division V Player of the Year, responded to the challenge.
Allen scored eight straight Portsmouth points between the first and second quarters for the Lady Trojans and scored or assisted on 12 of Portsmouth's 15 tallies in the opening half of play, posting a game-high 10 tallies in the opening half to help the Lady Trojans draw within five of Fairland, 20-15, at the halftime break.
"They doubled her a lot," Hughes said of Fairland's attention on Hughes. "We did a good job eventually of finding the open person. Tomorrow, we'll get in here and concentrate on the passing, the shooting, the ballhandling, the offensive part of it. We just weren't ready for the offensive part of it."
Fairland again responded in the third quarter with a bang, as Taliaferro hit a tough three-point field goal while Teagan Leep hit another to help the Lady Dragons take a game-high 10-point lead, 28-18, in the third frame.
But Portsmouth didn't relent.
Following a timeout from Hughes, Portsmouth doubled up to close within 34-30 of the point as Sienna Allen and Portsmouth sophomore Bry Shannon each hit crucial three-pointers that drew the Lady Trojans back into the fight, while Hayven Carter hit a big bucket while absorbing contact in the lane and pulled up for a silky smooth eight-foot jumper to score four critical third quarter points before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.
Even when Fairland answered back on a three-point field goal by freshman guard Riley Russell, the activity of the Allen sisters wreaked havoc — and within three minutes, a 9-0 run by Portsmouth, capped off by an Salem Allen three-ball and a layup by Sienna Allen, freed up in the lane by her younger sister's three the possession prior, pulled the Lady Trojans ahead by a a 39-37 count.
"My kids aren't scared of anything," Hughes said. "They are prepared for any challenge, any fight, any defensive battle. They just battle, battle, and battle. I would take them to war with me any day of the week."
"Salem (Allen) made a huge three there late to tie the game at 37," Buchanan said. "That was a huge three by her. That was a great design by Amy. We were playing that naturally and guard the paint primarily, because we were trying to keep Sienna (Allen) from going one-on-one, trying to keep Keke (Woods) from getting to the rim, and trying to keep KK (Mays) from going one-on-one. Against a great team, you've got to give something. Obviously, all of the kids can play, but we have to take away something that we do best. Huge credit for Portsmouth for executing right there."
But after Allen's layup, Taliaferro answered quickly on the other end with a difficult runner, tying the game again with just under two minutes to go.
The next minute saw neither team score — that is, until Fairland went to work.
Setting a pick-and-roll for Godby in what Buchanan described as empty action, Portsmouth double-teamed Godby in an attempt to stop the senior attempt at driving to the rim.
That, however, left Russell wide open for the potential dagger — and true to form, No. 32's shot from the left wing with 49 seconds left was pure, giving Fairland a 42-39 advantage.
Portsmouth got two additional good looks off from Sienna Allen on its next-to-last offensive possession, but the first three from Allen was just long and caromed off of the back of the rim, while the second hit the front end of the iron. The enusing scramble for the ball was kicked out ahead to Fairland's Addyson Cornell, who laid the ball up in an uncontested manner to seal the result for the Lady Dragons.
Despite the loss, the Trojans still sit 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference, with its two losses coming by a combined seven points to OHSAA Division I opponent Olentangy (67-65) — who is 6-0 and whom the Lady Trojans have played closer than any other opponent — and Fairland.
"At the end of the day, this loss is going to be a great learning process for us," Hughes said. "We have some kids playing in more enhanced roles than they were last year, and they're playing a lot of minutes in those new roles. We'll get them ready. It was such a fun atmosphere for female sports. I sure am proud of the town. I'm proud to be from Portsmouth and to have the fan support that we had tonight. We'll have a better performance for them next time."