Staff photo / Brian Yauger Western Reserve junior Quincy Miller eyes the basket as she drives past Jackson-Milton sophomore Gabby Kerr during Friday’s rivalry tilt. Miller finished with 22 points in the win.

NORTH JACKSON — A small run from Western Reserve quickly turned what would have been a five-point lead to a 10-point lead, helping set the tone for the second half.

The Blue Devils rode that momentum to the tune of a 60-48 victory over rival Jackson-Milton.

“There were just some phases of the game tonight that were just art,” Western Reserve coach Steve Miller said. “What we wanted to see, regardless of the score. I told them, ‘If we do these things, the score will be OK.’ But I thought, before I’ve watched the film, I thought we pretty much did things that we set out to do.”

With 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter, the Blue Devils scored a quick pair of buckets to extend their five-point lead to 10.

Getting a 23-point effort from Kylee Ramsey didn’t hurt Western Reserve (4-1, 1-0 MVAC-Scarlet) either.

“Ramsey was probably somehow involved with getting her hands on things and finishing at the hoop,” Miller said of the second quarter run. “She’s our player that has the ability to attack the lane, attack the rim and finish around the group. Certainly between our guards, one of them is usually going to get hot. If we have two hitting (shots), it’s nice.”

They had two, as Quincy Miller scored 22 on the night as well.

As Western Reserve gets into the meat of its schedule, Miller wants to see all three of his offensive pillars get to shine.

While only having nine points, Isabella Mauro shined defensively.

“We were trying to get some inside touches today, and even though (Mauro) didn’t get me with a point production, she dominated the boards,” Miller said. “I try to let the girls know that sometimes, even though maybe we’re not getting the points from in the paint, it’s a war of attrition.”

The game serves as a solid measuring stick for Jackson-Milton, who is still building back up its program after missing a season two years ago.

While not there yet, Jackson-Milton is confident in the direction they’re headed early in the year.

“Last year (when we faced Western Reserve for the first time), the game was basically over in the first quarter,” Blue Jays coach Jeff Wilson said. “Then in the second game, we played well in the first half, but went down by about 10 or 12. To be down five with 30 seconds left in the second quarter, and then not to give up and keep chipping away at that lead and not letting them pull away, shows me that we could play with anybody in our conference. We lost by one to Springfield in the second half last week and gave Reserve a game.”

Nora Schwarten paced the team with 18 points. Amani Yasin tacked on 12 and Emma Johns added 10.

The Blue Jays (4-3, 1-2 MVAC-Scarlet) look to recover on Thursday when they travel to Columbiana to take on Heartland Christian. Western Reserve takes on Chalker on Monday.