Lancaster senior Carlee Arledge came up big for the Lancaster girls' basketball team down the stretch in a 1-point win over Groveport.
GROVEPORT — The Lancaster girls’ basketball team was coming off a pair of heartbreaking losses by a combined seven points against Newark and Teays Valley, and on Friday, Jan. 23, it looked as if the Lady Gales were headed for a third gut-punch in a row against Groveport.
This time, however, Lancaster found a way to pull out a thrilling 48-47 Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division win on the road at Groveport, a place they hadn’t won since 2018.
Lancaster senior guard Carlee Arledge, who had overcome two knee surgeries in her career, came up huge for the Gales at crunch time.
Things looked bleak after the Gales had blown a 16-point first-half lead. The Cruisers, behind an outstanding performance from Zay Shepherd, who finished with 34 points, kept chipping away at the lead. Down five heading to the fourth quarter, Groveport came all the way back and took the lead.
Trailing 47-42 with just under three minutes remaining, Lancaster (8-8, 4-6) scored the final six points of the game. Senior Molly Stedman jump-started things with a steal and a layup, then Arledge converted a pair of free throws to cut the margin to one with 1:23 left.
Arledge would give the Gales the lead for good when she took a pass from half court from Stedman, who had broken free against the Cruisers’ full-court press. After receiving the ball, Arledge took a couple of dribbles and scored on a tough 10-foot runner in the lane with 27 seconds remaining.
The Cruisers missed two free throws with 17 seconds left, then had two chances to win it, but they missed a 10-footer in the lane and, after getting the rebound, missed another shot in the lane. Stedman grabbed the rebound at the buzzer.
“We have shown grit all season, and after losing a couple of close games, one finally went our way at the end,” Lancaster coach Dusty Miller said. “Even down five late, we kept grinding and found a way to get it done on the road.”
Arledge was all smiles after the game, and the fact that she played a huge part in the Gales’ victory was a great feeling after everything that she had been through, as far as coming back twice after injuring her knee.
“It was mentally and physically challenging, but all the work I put in, I wanted to be able to leave it on the floor,” Arledge said. “To know how much work I put in to be where I am today makes this even more satisfying. It felt great to be able to step up for your team, but you have to trust your teammates and always have trust in yourself. It just feels great to be back on the winning track.”
Arledge finished with a team-high 17 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, went 5-for-7 at the free throw line and had two assists. Steadman added 14 points and six assists, while Harper Allen chipped in six points, and DJ Rossi came off the bench to score five points.
Lancaster raced out to a 10-2 lead to start the game and led 17-12 at the end of the first quarter. The Gales started the second quarter on a 12-1 run to push their lead to 29-13, but the Cruisers ended the first half on a 9-0 run to cut the halftime margin to 29-22.
Groveport kept the pressure up in the third and fourth quarters. The Gales led 37-32 heading into the fourth, only to watch Groveport score the first five points to tie it at 37-37.
“This type of win just shows the growth of our team from the beginning of the year to now,” Miller said. “We are playing like a different team. We have been playing good teams all season, and we have been right there within a couple of possessions, and today, we executed down the stretch when we had to.”
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X at twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Arledge is key down the stretch as Lady Gales edge Groveport in thriller
Category: General Sports
