By GARY DOVE
for the Daily Telegraph

WELCH – Mount View, to borrow a figurative phrase from years ago, was “In the zone” Wednesday evening, although the meaning of that expression the Lady Knights exhibited was much more literal than figurative.
The Lady Golden Knights used a 2-3 zone that allowed the visiting Man Lady Hillbillies minimal offensive success in a 50-22 win on Ergie Smith Court, at the Castle.
Mount View led 7-4 after the opening quarter and 22-6 at the break before pushing the advantage to 34-9 after three periods.
Spoke Lady Knight head coach Harold Smith of the zone deployment, “The girls move pretty good in the zone. They’re catching on now, covering for one another. I tell them, ‘You’ve got to trust the girl behind you. If you rotate properly, you’ve got to release knowing the girl behind you is covering.’”
Senior Mika McCoy, the only senior on the Hillbilly squad connected from the right wing with a 14 foot jumper to open the scoring before Lady Knight sophomore Kaitlyn Gillespie answered with a three from the right side.
Junior Summer Combs pushed Man back on top with a fielder off a Hannah Harvey assist before the Lady Knight entered that aforementioned “zone.”
Man would not score again in the half until McCoy sank a pair of free throws with only 1:15 showing before intermission, and would not record another field goal until 3:50 remained in the third, or 15:45 later on the play clock following Combs’ bucket.
Mount View meanwhile went on a 19-0 tear over the final two minutes of the inaugural stanza and most of the second.
Gillespie, who took game co-scoring honors along with Keisha Johnson, accounted for eight points in that run, while Johnson scored six.
Johnson scored the initial seven points of the second half and senior Tamia Joyce finished that 10 point run with a trifecta for a 32-6 Lady View advantage midway through the third.
McCoy got untracked in the final frame, scoring 12 of her 17 points, but Gillespie and Johnson added five apiece as the Lady Knights picked up their 10th win in 16 contests.
Gillespie and Johnson, as previously mentioned, tied for game scoring honors with 18 apiece.
Man, with five freshman on the roster, was playing without two starters last evening. One was home with a diagnosed “pink eye” and the other injured her ankle in a game Tuesday evening.
The Lady Hillbillies fell to 5-12 with the loss and will be in action Thursday night, against Greater Beckley Christian.
Mount View will get a much-needed night off tonight, before hosting Bluefield Friday evening.

AT THE CASTLE
Man 4 2 3 13 22
Mount View 7 15 12 16 50
MAN: Mika McCoy 6 2-5 17, Hannah Harvey 0 1-4 1, Summer Combs 1 0-4 2, Morgan Muncy 0 2-2 2. Totals 7 5-15 22.
MOUNT VIEW: Tamia Joyce 2 0-0 5, Keisha Johnson 8 0-0 18, Destiny Robertson 1 0-0 2, Kaitlyn Gillespie 8 0-1 18, Jasmine Lash 1 0-0 3, Chantel Vineyard 2 0-0 4. Totals 22 0-1 50.
THREE POINT GOALS: M 3 (McCoy 3), MV 6 (Johnson 2, Gillespie 2, Joyce 1, Lash 1.