Lady Cards clinch #1 seed 47-23 over McCreary

By SHANNON HUTCHINSON

Sports Writer

The Wayne County Lady Cardinals hosted McCreary Central last Monday night at Cardinal Gym.

The Lady Cards, the 16th ranked team in the state according to the latest Associated Press poll, entered the contest with a perfect 4-0 district mark and a 6-3 record overall.

The Lady Raiders entered with a 3-9 record overall and 1-2 district tally.

A Wayne County victory would clinch the Lady Cards the #1 seed and

Lady Cardinal point guard Trisha Gothrup broke to the basket during recent action at Wayne County High School.            Photo by Duchess Sloan

homecourt advantage for the 47th District Tournament, for a school record sixth consecutive season.

Sophomore forward Ashley Bell scored a game high 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, for her second consecutive double-double, as Wayne County outscored McCreary Central 33-14 in the middle quarters, en route to a 47-23 home win.

Bell finished 6 of 17 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free throw line, while fellow forward Claudia Baker added 10 points with 6 rebounds, and a game high 6 steals, as the Lady Cards clinched the district’s #1 seed, while improving to 7-3 on the season.

"We expect big things out of our post players each night out and I felt like both Ashley and Claudia stepped up in this game. We feel like our post play is as good as anyone in the region. Ashley finished with another double-double, while Claudia ignited our team with some big defensive plays as well," said Lady Cards head coach Tim Pyles.

Kenita Ball and Trisha Gothrup finished with 7 points each, as the Lady Cards won easily, despite shooting only 33 percent from the field and just 8 percent from 3-point range.

"This was another game that our defensive intensity and pressure had to carry us. When you don’t shoot the ball very well, you better do all the other little things well and I think we’re doing a nice job of that. I know we can shoot it better and think we will, it’s just a matter of getting the shots to fall. I certainly like the looks we’re getting," said Pyles.

McCreary Central, which dropped to 3-10, was led by the 6 points each of Becky Sumner and Ashley Terry.

The Lady Raiders shot just 33 percent from the field and was plagued by 25 turnovers. The defensive effort by Sumner earned the praise of the Lady Cards head coach.

"Sumner blocks a lot of shots and really hinders any offense you have around the basket. I was proud of the way our posts defended her and held her to only 6 points," said Pyles.

Wayne County opened 2 of 12 from the field, but still managed to claim a 6-2 lead, at the end of the first quarter.

The Lady Raiders countered with 1 of 6 shooting in the opening frame.

Junior guard Kenita Ball, paced five different Lady Cards in the scoring column in the second quarter, with 6 points, as the hosts opened a 22-8 halftime advantage.

McCreary Central finished the first half a dismal 4 of 15 from the field for 27 percent.

"I liked our defensive effort, which not only forced some turnovers, but gave us some easy baskets offensively," said Pyles.

Ashley Bell tallied 10 of her 16 points in the third period, as Wayne County used a 17-8 period advantage, to roll to a 39-16 lead.

The Lady Cards connected on 7 of 18 field goal attempts in the stanza, while the Lady Raiders made 3 of 8 attempts.

Four different Lady Cards scored in the final quarter, as the hosts used an 8-7 point advantage, to roll to a 47-23 district win.

The win clinched the #1 seed in the district for Wayne County.

"I’m very excited and tickled for our kids that we’ve earned the right to host the district tournament, or any game that involves us. We can now concentrate on other goals for this team, but to get homecourt advantage is a big plus," said Pyles.

A review of the stats shows McCreary Central shot 10 of 30 from the field for 33 percent and made 1 of 6 3-pointers for 17 percent.

The squad tallied on 2 of 5 free throws for 40 percent and finished with 25 turnovers.

Wayne County finished 20 of 61 overall for 33 percent and made 1 of 13 3-point attempts for a meager 8 percent. The winners made 4 of 6 free throws for 67 percent and totaled just 6 turnovers.

"Our goal is to finish a plus 12 in turnovers. In this game, we ended a plus 19, so I’m very proud of not only our defense, but the way we handled the basketball," said Pyles.

Latoyia Green contributed 3 points and 5 rebounds, while Sarah Wixson and Kara Gothrup added 2 points each, as seven different Lady Cards scored in the win.

Up next on the schedule for Wayne County was a road trip to Russell County and a home contest with Cawood in the Holiday Inn Classic.

"We’ve got a busy week and really have to stay after it and just hope the weather cooperates," said Pyles.

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