Local girls basketball teams were back in action over the weekend as the calendar flipped to the new year, with Indian Lake opening 2026 at home, Mechanicsburg picking up a conference win, West Liberty-Salem rolling on the road, Triad continuing its OHC schedule, and Riverside junior high squads also seeing action. Here’s a look at Saturday’s results from around the area.
West Liberty-Salem remained red-hot, cruising to a 60–18 win over Catholic Central. The Tigers improved to 8–1 overall and 7–1 in conference play.
West Liberty-Salem placed nine players in the scoring column, led by Ava Astorino with 15 points. Ava Poppe and Addison Wallen each added 11 points, while Arianna Weaver chipped in seven. Ellery Wygal and Lucy Cole scored four apiece, Emily King and Grace Jones each finished with three, and Neveah Gravely added two.
Mechanicsburg earned a 47–29 win over Greenon, taking control early and maintaining the advantage throughout the game. The Indians led 19–7 after the first quarter and continued to build their lead with consistent scoring in each period.
Clara Forrest led all scorers with 20 points for Mechanicsburg, while Taylor Heizer added 10.
In the JV matchup, Mechanicsburg also picked up a win, defeating Greenon 51–23. Elizabeth Shuryan scored 18 points, and Bella Batkiewicz added 14 in the JV victory.
The Indian Lake Lakers hosted the New Knoxville Rangers to open the new year at home, falling just short in a 32–31 loss.
The Lakers came out strong, jumping out to a 13–6 lead at the end of the first quarter. New Knoxville battled back and eventually took a five-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers showed resilience down the stretch. Kennedy Schwaderer knocked down two clutch three-pointers to cut the deficit to just one point, but the comeback effort ultimately fell short.
Schwaderer led the Lakers with 13 points, while Alivia Kinney added five. Rya Pequignot, Carly Strayer, and several other Lakers rounded out the scoring effort.
In JV action, the Lakers responded after trailing 3–2 early, turning up the defensive pressure and dominating the remainder of the two-quarter contest for a 14–3 victory. Hailey Smith led the way with eight points, Bre Wisner added four, and Terra Beltz chipped in with a bucket.
Triad played at home against Greeneview but suffered a 65–11 loss. Jazz Ford led the Cardinals with eight points and four rebounds. Triad now stands at 0–8 in the OHC and 0–10 overall on the season.
At the junior high level, Riverside’s 7th-grade girls dropped a hard-fought contest to Covington, 21–14. Erica Blair led Riverside with eight points, while Lilly Haynes, Brylee Shepherd, and Kinsley Crawford each scored two.
The Riverside 8th-grade girls also fell to Covington, 27–8. Bella Robinson paced Riverside with five points, Lilly Haynes added two, and Kinsley Crawford chipped in one.
