ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Steve Eft has built a championship culture at Indian Creek during his seven years at the helm of the Wintersville-based program.

The Lady Redskins added yet another crown to their collection Saturday evening at the ECO Center. Creek pocketed the Buckeye 8 title via a 50-46 win over a quality Union Local squad.

Eft has guided the Lady Redskins to the last two OVAC 4A championships and are in solid shape to shoot for a three-peat. The win also avenges an earlier 41-37 setback to Union Local in December.

Creek is 9-7 against a very demanding schedule. The Lady Redskins now own four Buckeye 8 girls hoop crowns, the last coming in 2013.

“We needed a big win like this,” Eft said. “Union Local is a very good team. They are very well coached.

“This will be a big boost of confidence for us heading into the postseason,” he added. “We put together a very demanding regular-season schedule in hopes it would pay dividends in the postseason. Tonight will help the cause.”

The setback was just the third in 16 starts for Coach Scooter Tolzda’s Lady Jets.

“We lost to a quality team. They made the plays down the stretch,” Tolzda said. “We made too many mistakes when the game was on the line.”

The tightly played contest was steeped with solid and at times stifling defense at both ends.

Creek worked itself into a 25-20 halftime advantage. Senior standout McKenna Scott was key in building the Lady Redskin lead by delivering 10 points in the first two quarters.

UL quickly turned the tables by scoring the first eight points of the third quarter. That spurt enabled the Lady Jets to grab a 39-36 edge entering the final chapter. Senior dandy Ella Pietranton and junior ace Laken Vinskovich sparked UL’s third-stanza resurgence by producing nine and eight points, respectively.

The game remained tight the balance of the night with the biggest lead being a UL 46-41 edge with under four minutes to play. They Jets, however, would fail to score again.

Creek moved in front via two free throws from Gracie Wiley with 1:52 showing. The two teams traded turnovers before UL misfired from the floor.

Creek’s Kaydence Walker meshed a free throw with 37.3 ticks, pushing the Lady Redskins’ lead to 48-46. Twelve seconds later, the Jets missed two free throws but gained possession on a tie-up at the 23.6 lighting.

As fate would have it, UL committed another costly turnover, resulting in Walker being fouled with 11.5 seconds remaining. She converted both freebies for a 50-46 lighting.

The Lady Jets would seal their fate by turning the ball over one final time.

Scott led the well-balanced winners with 17 points while Wiley added 13 counters. Six Lady Redskins found the scoring column.

UL, meanwhile, was a two-pronged offensive attack. Pietranton played brilliantly, scoring a game-high 22 points. Vinskovich chipped in with 17 markers, 13 coming after intermission.

Scott and Pietranton were named players-of-the-game for their respective teams.

“I am proud of our girls,” Eft said. “We have played through a lot of adversity this year. Our starting point guard blew her knee out early and one of the girls we were counting on opted not to come out.

“But they have worked hard every day and battled through a tough schedule,” he continued. “I think we can do well in the postseason. We are now Division IV.”

Things get no easier for UL. The Lady Jets face a formidable test Monday against John Marshall.

“This is not the end. We still have a lot of basketball left to play,” Tolzda said. “We still have a lot to play for. But we have a tough schedule left with John Marshall, Monroe Central, Wheeling Park and Zanesville.

“This is the best game Ella has played. I am very proud of her,” he offered. “We have some other girls who need to step up and give us more.”

UL committed 15 turnovers. Indian Creek was guilty of only eight miscues.

Bellaire was last year’s Buckeye 8 girls champions.