After a loss to Franklin County to bring in the new year, Rushville earned a conference victory over East Central on Saturday evening. They pulled out to an early lead and held on throughout the remainder of the game to secure a three-point win.

Carley Senour put Rushville up 2-0 on their first possession. Trish Morgan added a layup while the Lady Lions' defense shut out East Central. Midway through the frame a Makenna Ripberger free throw and a Kylee Herbert three-point basket had Rushville up 8-0 to start the game. The Lady Trojans scored back-to-back before a Senour deep ball gave Rushville an 11-4 lead with 1:00 remaining in the quarter. Kiley Parsley added a basket, then an East Central three-pointer fell, and the quarter ended with Morgan hitting a three from the top of the key. Rushville was on top 16-7. 

The second quarter began with the Lady Trojans going on a 4-0 run, a Parsley free throw stopped the run, and Morgan made it an 18-11 game midway through the quarter with her own freebie. The rest of the quarter RCHS was outscored by the Lady Trojans 7-6, sending the squads to the locker room with Rushville up 24-18. 

Leonie Boyer ended a slow second half start, getting the first bucket two minutes into the third quarter. East Central scored from the charity stripe on several occasions and with 3:40 to go Rushville's lead was five. EC went back to the line several more times over the next three minutes and caught the Lady Lions; with 30 seconds to go, they were within just one point. With the last play of the quarter, Boyer laid in two points and Rushville led 28-25. 

Boyer got RCHS on the board to start the fourth quarter and gave Rushville a six-point cushion. The teams played even throughout the final frame with each scoring nine in the eight minutes. Rushville held off the Lady Trojans and earned a 37-34 win.

The Lady Lions are now 7-11 on the season after the win and 2-3 in EIAC games. They will host Pendleton Heights for a Saturday matinee, with a 1:30 pm varsity tip time.

Boyer had 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. Morgan had 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal and 2 assists. Senour had 5 points, 1 rebound and 2 blocked shots. Herbert had 3 points, 1 steal and 2 assists. Parsley had 3 points, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots. Gracie Buzzard had 2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Ripberger had 1 point, 3 rebounds and 1 steal, and Olivia Smith had 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.

The Lady Lions visited FCHS last Tuesday and the Lady Cats took an early lead to cruise to a 27-point victory. This is the first win for Franklin County over the Lady Lions since 2016 and just the third win in the past 20 years. 

A fast-paced first quarter saw the Lady Cats jump out to a 10-0 lead before Rushville was able to get a basket to fall. FC went on to outscore RCHS 6-3 over the next few minutes and lead 16-5 after the first frame. Senior Nicole Mears ran wild on Rushville scoring 25 points in the game. Mears and Ruby Singer (14 points) had their Cats up at the half by 20 points, leading 35-15. 

A low-scoring third quarter by both teams had FC ahead 44-22 after three quarters. A 23-point fourth quarter helped the Lady Cats cruise to their 11th win of the season. In addition to Mears and Singer, Bailey Kaiser finished with 11 points. Madesyn Sunderhaus and Kendall Cox each added five in the win. Rushville's Boyer had 19 points in the game to lead her team in scoring.