The Peebles Indians came tearing into Monday's match with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.1 points) and they left with even more momentum. They snuck past Hillsboro with a 56-50 victory. Given Peebles' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 104th, while Hillsboro is ranked 386th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Payton Johnson was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 27 points and ten rebounds. Johnson is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Abigail Smalley, who scored 15 points.
Hillsboro's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Blake Herdman, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Herdman has scored all season. Peighton Bledsoe was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with four steals.
Peebles' victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.0 points per game. As for Hillsboro, they now have a losing record at 8-9.
Peebles will be playing at home against Williamsburg at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. As for Hillsboro, they will head out on the road to challenge Chillicothe at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
