Staff photo / Preston Byers Chaney’s JaNiyah Eiland attempts a shot while being swarmed by two Massillon defenders during the Cowgirls’ 78-33 loss Monday in Youngstown.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Chaney girls basketball team got off to a hot start in Monday’s non-conference home matchup vs. Massillon, but the Tigers quickly wrestled control of the game away from the Cowgirls, who wilted under the pressure of Massillon’s press and traps.

Despite taking the first lead of the game, Chaney committed numerous turnovers and surrendered offensive rebounds as the Tigers scored bucket after bucket in the 78-33 Massillon win in Youngstown.

“They’re a good team. … We bounce back and get back to playing. It just wasn’t there,” Chaney head coach Dwight Berry said.

Off of the opening tip, Alexandria Pete scored to give Chaney a lead, which it held for the first three minutes of Monday’s game.

However, Alyssa Brown, the Cowgirls’ primary ball handler, picked up her third foul, leading Berry to sit her on the bench for most of the rest of the first half. Brown’s foul trouble, combined with the absence of a few of the team’s other top players, created a window for Massillon to burst through.

After Chaney took a 6-2 lead, the Tigers scored nine unanswered before Berry called a timeout. The break helped the Cowgirls, who scored six points in 90 seconds to pull back within a basket of Massillon.

Unfortunately, the rest of the night – approximately 27 minutes of game time – belonged to the Tigers.

Following Iysis Harmon’s field goal four and a half minutes into the game, Massillon outscored Chaney 64-21 Monday.

Driving the Tigers’ prolonged surge was the trio of senior La Nia Moore, junior Hanna Nicola and freshman Delaney Pierce, who combined for 57 of Massillon’s 78 points. Jaryn Wolff, a sophomore who made a game-high five 3-pointers, also contributed 17.

Even when Brown, who scored a team-high eight points, reemerged from the bench, she could do little to slow down the Tigers, who forced turnovers on seemingly every Chaney possession for minutes on end with a full-court press and trap. Additionally, the Tigers earned plenty of second and third chances at the basket thanks to more than a dozen offensive rebounds.

Massillon entered halftime with a 52-18 lead after finishing the second quarter on a 38-6 run.

The second half went quickly, with the clock running for most of the final 16 minutes; Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) rules dictate games with a difference of 35 points or more in the second have a continuously running clock.

While Massillon kept its normal rotation until the closing moments, Berry used the blowout to give his bench players minutes against a team considered to be among the best in the state.

“That’s the number-two team in Division II. Let’s keep fighting,” Berry said of his locker-room message after the game. “We learn, our bench got a chance. … But the message was, just keep pushing, keep fighting, on to the next game.”

As for any worries the 45-point loss could bleed into the coming practices or games, Berry felt confident that would not happen.

“We will get in practice and be ourselves. We’re gonna practice and continue to do what we do and push forward. This is just one game,” Berry said.

Chaney (5-2) visits Mineral Ridge (5-1) on Friday in its final game before a holiday break.