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Lady Cards return home, beat McCreary Central 47-41 SHANNON HUTCHINSON Sports Writer The Wayne County Lady Cardinals hosted McCreary Central last Monday night at Cardinal Gym in an important district contest for both teams. The Lady Cards entered with a 10-3 record overall, but the game marked just their second appearance at Cardinal Gym all season and first in five weeks. McCreary Central owned a 6-6 record on the season and was looking to avenge a 52-38 home loss to Wayne County in early December. Senior forward Ashley Bell netted a game high 26 points with a team high 8 rebounds, in just over 30 minutes of action, as the Lady Cards claimed a 47-41 district win. The hosts used a 17-6 third quarter run, to break-open a 19-14 halftime score and improve to 4-0 in district play. ³This game was just a weird game from the start and everything we did was a real struggle. We couldnıt get into any flow at all, after watching the tape we executed pretty well, we just couldnıt finish off some easy shots,² said Lady Cards head coach Tim Pyles. Heather Stearns, an eighth grader inserted into the starting lineup with an injury to Courtney Duncan, added 7 points and 3 rebounds, to help pace the attack. Meg Latham sparked the reserves with 6 points and 4 boards, as only five Lady Cards scored in the win. ³Weıre getting the ball on the inside pretty well, we just need to work on our inside-outside game. At times weıve been able to do that this season and thatıs something we have to do if we want to be successful,² said Pyles. Junior Kara Gothrup totaled 5 points with a game high 6 assists, while classmate Lindsey Dishman contributed 3 points, as nine different Lady Cards played in the win. McCreary Central, which dropped to 6-7 overall and 0-4 in district play, was paced by the play of junior forward Lindsey Waters. Waters netted a team high 22 points with 8 rebounds and 4 blocks, in 32 minutes of play. ³Waters is a very nice player. Sheıs left handed, which makes her tough to guard, plus she plays so well with her back to the basket. Give McCreary Central credit, we allowed them to control tempo,² said Pyles. Tara Tucker added 10 points and Joni Marion netted 7 points, as just four Lady Raiders scored in the contest. The visitors were plagued by 35 percent shooting from the field and Wayne Countyıs 36-23 rebound advantage. Ashley Bell opened with 7 points in the first frame, while Tara Tucker countered with 7 points of her own, as Wayne County battled to take a 9-7 lead. The Lady Cards shot just 28 percent from the field in the first half, which included a dismal 1 of 15 effort from 3-point range. Wayne County used the tandem of Bell and Latham in the second stanza, as Bell netted 6 points and Latham 4 points, as the hosts used a 10-7 period edge to own a 19-14 halftime lead. ³The tempo was certainly in Centralıs favor and we have to do a better job of establishing our temp. This team has a habit of playing at whatever speed our opponents want, so we have to work on our intensity level,² said Pyles. Five different Lady Cards scored in the third quarter, as the squad used a 17-6 run to push to a 36-20 lead. Lindsey Waters was the offense for the visitors and accounted for all 6 of the Lady Raidersı points in the period. Waters added 14 more points in the final eight minutes, but it wasnıt enough as Wayne County claimed a 47-41 win. The Lady Cards were led by the 13 second half points of Ashley Bell and shot an impressive 50 percent from the field, in the final half. McCreary Central finished 12 of 34 overall from the field for 35 percent, which included a 5 of 11 tally from 3-point range for 46 percent. The Lady Raiders totaled 8 steals with 19 turnovers and shot 12 of 16 from the free throw line for 75 percent. ³We have to do a better job of finishing teams off. A big part of that is tempo and when we donıt set the pace, we allow teams to stay around and that can haunt you,² said Pyles. Wayne County finished 19 of 49 overall from the field for 39 percent and that included a meager 3 of 24 from behind the arc for 13 percent. The squad totaled 13 steals with 8 assists against 16 turnovers and made 6 of 12 free throws for 50 percent. The Lady Cards improved to 4-0 in district play and 11-3 on the season. Up next for the squad was a Thursday night road game at district foe Russell County. Add a comment |
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