1-12-11 —     The Wayne County Lady Cardinals met 12th Region rival Boyle County last Wednesday afternoon at Mercer County High School Gym, in the  third round of the Lady Titans Christmas Clash. Wayne County entered  with a 4-6 record coming off back to back losses to Lexington  

Catholic 61-44 and Taylor County 45-32, in the previous two  

tournament games. The Lady Rebels lost to Pineville 61-44 and  

Lexington Catholic 72-42, in tournament play, and owned a 3-6 mark.

    The Lady Cards used a 16-6 fourth quarter run, aided by 6 of 8 

shooting from the free throw line, to take a 47-33 consolation win.  

Wayne County erased a 12-3 Boyle County lead with a 15-2 run of their  own in the second quarter, as the winners improved to 5-6 on the season.

    Hallie Gillespie netted a game high 13 points with a game high 9 

rebounds, while Kourtney Criswell tallied 12 points with 3 boards, as  

Wayne County enjoyed a 35-28 rebound advantage. Gillespie, a  

sophomore forward, shot 5 of 11 from the field and 2 of 2 from the  

free throw line, in over 28 minutes of play.

    Criswell connected on 4 of 7 field goal attempts and 4 of 6 free 

throws, while Kayla Bowlin added 7 points with a game high 6 assists.  

The senior guard shot 3 of 10 from the field and 1 of 3 from the  

charity-stripe, as five different Lady Cards scored in the win.

    "Once again we came out not ready to play in the first quarter and 

dug a hole. I was hoping we would come out hungry to play and ready  

to compete. Hallie really ran the floor well and when we passed over  

the press she moved into a good scoring position and converted. I  

thought even though Kayla couldn't get her shots to fall, she  

distributed the basketball pretty well. We need her to be able to  

play through those times and keep her head up. I also liked the way  

Kourtney finished strong and gave us a good lift," said Wayne County  

head coach Tim Pyles.

    Samantha Sexton posted 6 points and 6 rebounds, while Jamie Roberts provided a spark off the bench with 9 points. The freshman guard shot  3 of 7 from the field and 2 of 6 from the charity-stripe, while  logging over 26 minutes.

    "Jamie had her best game of the tournament and I really thought her 

play off the bench gave us a big lift. She made some big buckets, but  

we need her to convert from the free throw line. I think she's  

rushing a bit and just needs to slow down, she's a good shooter,"  

said Pyles.

    Boyle County, which dropped to 3-7, was plagued by poor shooting 

across the board and 25 turnovers. The squad shot below 35 percent  

from the field overall, 3-point range and missed 16 of 24 free throw  

attempts.

    "I really like Boyle County's pressure defense and the fact that 

they play hard for all 32 minutes. They missed some shots and had  

some turnovers, but their mindset is no-quit and to keep playing  

hard. They are rebuilding with Coach Edwards, but to his credit they  

love to battle," said Pyles.

    Hannah Harris netted a team best 8 points with 5 rebounds, while the 

trio of Chelsea Gill, Natalie Settle and Michelle Howell all netted 5  

points each. Harris shot 1 of 5 from the floor and 5 of 10 from the  

free throw line, to pace eight different Lady Rebels in the scoring  

column.

    Boyle County used four different scorers in the opening quarter, led 

by the 5 points of Howell, to race to a 12-3 lead. The Lady Cards  

opened a dismal 1 of 10 from the field, a stat not lost on the head  

coach.

    "To come out and miss nine of our first 10 shots is unacceptable. I 

would hope after back to back losses our focus and mindset would be  

different to start this game," said Pyles.

    Jamie Roberts led all players with 9 points in the half, including 7 

during a Wayne County 15-2 run, as the Lady Cards battled back to  

claim a 18-14 halftime edge. Wayne shot 50 percent from the field in  

the second stanza, while the Lady Rebs missed 9 of 10 from the floor  

and all 4 free throw attempts.

    Hallie Gillespie totaled 9 points in the third frame as the two 

teams battled to a 13-13 tilt, which left the Lady Cards with a 31-27  

lead.

    Kayla Bowlin and Kourtney Criswell combined for 12 points in the 

final 8 minutes, as Criswell made 4 of 5 free throws down the  

stretch, to push Wayne County to a 47-33 win.

    Boyle County finished 11 of 33 from the field for 33 percent, which 

included a 3 of 10 mark from 3-point range for 30 percent. The squad  

made 8 of 24 free throws for 33 percent and finished with 25  

turnovers, which Wayne County converted into 16 points.

    The Lady Cards shot 18 of 47 overall for 38 percent and marked on 2 

of 9 3-pointers for 22 percent. The winners made 9 of 19 free throws  

for 47 percent and totaled 9 steals with 8 assists, against 19  

turnovers.

    "It wasn't our best effort of the season by far, but we needed a 

win. We want to build on this and learn from our mistakes," said Pyles.

    Up next for the squad was a Thursday afternoon match-up with Tates Creek.