DAYTON, Ohio -- The Lady Raiders used an 11-1 run to fuel them early and kept that pace up all night long. Reynoldsburg’s team defense, ball pressure and incredible shot making kept their dream alive and they will march into the state finals on Saturday night to play Mason High School. The early lead was too much for Anthony Wayne to overcome and Reynoldsburg rolled to a 67-48 win. 

When Reynoldsburg won the opening tip and immediately scored off a Mya Perry lay-up, no one foresaw the avalanche that was coming with it. After the score from Perry, junior Samara Savoy got a steal and finished at the rim herself to get a very early 4-0 lead. Anthony Wayne freshman Brooke Bender hit a free throw to get the Generals on the board before Reynoldsburg ripped off five straight points to go up 11-1. Anthony Wayne began to climb back into the game as Brooke 

Bender was able to score in a couple different ways and cut the deficit to 15-7. Imarianah Russell ended the first frame with a pretty lay-up to end the quarter up 17-10. 

Russell started the second quarter hot, hitting back-to-back shots for the Raiders as they took a 21-12 lead. Brooke Bender picked up her third foul with 5:50 left in the first half and had to sit the rest of the way. Her sister, Elise Bender was able to get to the line and hit two after that happened which spurred a mini-run for the Generals and got the lead to 23-19. Reynoldsburg answered back by scoring six straight to end the half and went into the locker room with a 29-19 advantage. 

The Raiders forced the Generals into 13 first half turnovers and 30% shooting from the field. Reynoldsburg truly showed both their grit and athletic superiority, using quickness along with the ability to cause havoc on defense to get the 10-point halftime lead. 

After the break, the Generals were able to get a turnover on the Raiders and get a foul called on senior Makiya Miller before Jenna Rybicki hit a shot to get the crowd back into the game. On the next possession, Brooke Bender was called for her fourth foul with 7:15 left in the third and was 

forced to sit the rest of the way. Her absence was immensely missed, after Imarianah Russell sank the front end of two free throws and Mya Perry grabbed the rebound on the second miss and scored to push the lead to 11, sitting at 32-21. From that point on Reynoldsburg closed the quarter on a 19-10 run that saw Anthony Wayne only convert on one basket once Brooke went to the bench and two total for the quarter. The Lady Raiders took a commanding 51-31 lead into the final frame. 

Until the final minute of the game, every fourth quarter point for the Generals was scored by a Bender sister. Reynoldsburg continued to hit shots while Anthony Wayne could never get to within 15 points of the yellow and purple. The Lady Raiders closed the game and advanced to the state championship game, overwhelming Anthony Wayne 67-48.

Anthony Wayne was led by Elise Bender who scored 20 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks. Brooke Bender, despite being hampered by foul trouble, found a way to score 12 points and pull down seven rebounds to go along with a steal and two blocks. Senior Jenna Rybicki added six points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal while Sophia Schnieder pitched in four points and three rebounds. Tatum Roder, Mallori Pollock and Ameila Womack each added two points to round out the scoring for the Generals. 

Seniors Mya Perry and Imarianah Russell both scored 20 points and combined to grab 13 rebounds to lead the way for the Raiders. Samara Savoy, who got things going offensively for Reynoldsburg, ended with 14 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Makiya Miller added in six points, three assists and two steals while Trinity Ramos pitched in three points and five assists. Aubree Price and Sa’Mahn Johnson each added two points for the Raiders as they look forward to Saturday’s match-up against Mason.