Published: December 15, 2009 12:59 pm      

Southwestern defeats Lady Trojans 72-45

Monticello — The Monticello Lady Trojans hosted 48th District rival Southwestern last

Tuesday night at MHS Gym, in the district opener for both teams. Monticello

was 0-1 coming off a 58-57 loss at Corbin, while Southwestern opened their

season with an impressive 77-44 win at Cumberland County. The contest was

the first of two district home games for Monticello, as Wayne County was on

the schedule for a Friday night match-up.

Southwestern junior guard Danay Fothergill exploded for 34 points, as

the Lady Warriors raced to a 38-21 halftime lead and never allowed the

margin to get within single digits, en route to a 72-45 win. Fothergill

totaled 13 field goals, with 5 of those coming from behind the arc, made 3

of 4 free throws, to pace three winners scoring in double figures.

"We just didn't come out ready to play and struggled on both ends of the

floor. Maybe it was nerves of playing our first home game, or the fact it

was a big district game, but we didn't play very well. Give Southwestern

credit, they shot the ball extremely well and we couldn't stop Danay

Fothergill. She made some big shots and I thought Southwestern played well,"

said Monticello head coach Marla Kelsch.

Jessica Pierce, a 5-10 junior forward, added 16 points, while Addison

Corder chipped in with 12 points, on 4 3-pointers. Pierce totaled 6 field

goals and made 4 of 5 free throws, as the Lady Warriors shot 47 percent

overall, which included 11 3-pointers.

"We couldn't buy a basket at times, either in the paint or behind the

arc, while Southwestern really shot it from both the inside and from three,"

said Kelsch.

Monticello, which dropped to 0-2, shot just 30 percent from the field

led by the 18 points of senior forward Lacey Alley. The senior stalwart shot

8 of 18 from the field and 2 of 2 from the charity-stripe, with 7 rebounds

in 29 minutes of play.

Malesha Hughes posted 8 points with 5 boards, while Cortney Morrow

totaled 5 points, a team best 8 rebounds and game high 7 assists. Hughes

finished 4 of 5 from the free throw line, to offset a 2 of 10 effort from

the field and Morrow finished 1 of 7 from the field and 2 of 2 from the

foul-line.

The Lady Trojans finished 1 of 19 from 3-point range, a stat not lost on

the head coach.

"We had some good looks, but we couldn't get one to drop. We shot the

ball decent from the paint, but it's tough to win shooting that poorly from

behind the arc," said Kelsch.

The trio of Autumn Bell, Jackie Anderson and Whitney Watkins all totaled

4 points each, while Maggie Hopper netted 2 points, as seven different

Monticello players etched the scoring margin.

Southwestern opened the first period with 3 3-pointers and used the 12

points of Danay Fothergill to push to an 18-11 advantage. The Lady Trojans

stayed close with a balanced attack, as four different players scored in the

frame.

Fothergill added 9 more points in the second stanza as the Lady Warriors

doubled-up the hosts 20-10, to claim a 38-21 halftime lead. Lacey Alley led

Monticello with 6 points in the period, on 3 field goals and kept the

hot-hand with 8 more points in the third quarter.

Alley's 8 points couldn't stop the Lady Warriors' run, as Danay

Fothergill nailed 3 3-pointers and the team totaled 5, as Southwestern used

a 21-12 tilt, to own a 59-33 edge.

"We came out of the locker room and I thought we attacked their zone

better with penetration off the dribble. We cut the lead down to 12 or 13,

but they drilled a couple of big threes and pushed the lead right back out,"

said Kelsch.

The teams played on near-even terms over the final eight minutes, as the

Lady Warriors used a 13-12 edge to claim a 72-45 win. Monticello made 6 of 8

free throws in the quarter, paced by the 3 of 4 effort of Malesha Hughes.

Southwestern finished 27 of 58 overall from the field for 47 percent,

which included an eye-popping 11 of 25 effort from behind the arc for 44

percent. The squad connected on 7 of 13 free throws for 54 percent and

finished with 12 turnovers.

The Lady Trojans, which enjoyed a 33-29 rebound advantage, shot 17 of 57

overall for 30 percent. The hosts were a dismal 1 of 19 from 3-point range

for 5 percent and converted on 10 of 13 free throws for 77 percent.

Monticello totaled 12 assists with 6 steals, against 15 turnovers, which

Southwestern turned into 12 points.

"For such a tough shooting night, I thought we once again made our free

throws, which is a positive. I know we work on that quite a bit at different

times of practice, so that's hopefully something that will continue to pay

off," said Kelsch.

Up next for Monticello was another home district match-up on Friday

night with cross-town rival Wayne County. Details on that game in a related

story inside this edition of The Outlook.