CHARLIE KOENIG / GAZETTE-JOURNALMathews High School varsity basketball player Olivia Ashbaugh, left, and JV Lady Devil Angel Shultz, right, in action last Thursday against the visiting Essex Trojans.

The Mathews High School varsity girls’ basketball team split a pair of home games last week, falling to Essex last Thursday, 50-44 and crushing Carver Academy on Friday, 45-8.

Essex and Mathews played a closely contested game, with Mathews trailing by only three points at the half, 23-20. Reese Brock led Mathews in scoring with 21 points. Kayla Carr also ended the night in double figures with 11 points, while sisters Sarah and Olivia Ashbaugh rounded out the scoring with six points each.

The following night, Mathews had little trouble with Carver, winning by 37 points. Sarah Ashbaugh and Brock were the top scorers with 11 points, followed by Olivia Ashbaugh (six points), Lindsay Coons, Lora Rowe and Trinity Reynolds (four points each), Lyla Duff and Zoe Camp (two points api...