Hunter Whitecotton for River Radio Sports Central
JOHNSTON CITY — Vienna closed out its regular season in commanding fashion Monday night, defeating Johnston City 71-23 to secure a share of the Black Diamond Conference West championship.
The Lady Eagles (22-5, 9-1 BDC-W) entered the contest needing a win to claim a portion of the conference crown with Sesser-Valier/Waltonville and wasted little time asserting control. Vienna opened the game on an 8-0 run and led 20-8 after the first quarter. The advantage ballooned to 45-11 by halftime following a dominant second period.
“This is one I wanna enjoy,” said Lady Eagles head coach Rick Metcalf. “We lost 7 seniors last year and really didn’t know what we were gonna have coming into the season. For us to go out and win 9 conference games. And to win the conference just puts the biggest smile on my face tonight.”
Iris Mount powered the Eagles early, scoring 22 of her game-high 34 points in the first half. She was effective in the paint and at the free-throw line as Vienna capitalized on turnovers and pushed the tempo. Jenna Waters added 16 points, helping spark a 25-3 run to close the second quarter.
“My teammates really gave me some great looks,” said Mount. “My performance tonight is all thanks to them and God.”
Johnston City (8-18, 1-8) received early scoring from Adrianna Wilkening but struggled against Vienna’s defensive pressure throughout the night. The Lady Indians endured extended scoring droughts in the second quarter as the Lady Eagles converted steals into transition baskets.
“We’ve played five games in seven days,” said Johnston City head coach Ryan Shick. “Our girls were just gassed, and it really showed tonight. We can’t sleepwalk through games or this is gonna happen, but hopefully over the next week, we can rest and get healthy before regionals.”
Vienna continued to extend its lead in the third quarter, outscoring Johnston City 19-11 to trigger a running clock in the fourth. Mount remained active around the basket, while Abby Jones contributed timely scores, and Waters added points at the line.
Bella Zaranti capped the night with two fourth-quarter three-pointers as the Lady Eagles secured their largest conference win of the season.
With the victory, Vienna carries momentum into postseason play. The Lady Eagles earned the No. 2 seed in one of the subsectionals that feeds into the Chester Sectional. They are a regional host and will have a first-round bye before facing either Anna-Jonesboro or Johnston City once again.
“We just want to take it one game at a time,” said Metcalf. “Anything can happen in the postseason but for us to even be in the conversation to play Nashville at some point really speaks wonders about these girls and their progress this season.”
Johnston City will close out the regular season with games against Herrin and Century before traveling to Anna-Jonesboro Saturday in the regional quarterfinals.
