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Lady Cardinals win 9th straight 47th District Title 60-53 over McCreary Central Shannon Hutchinson Sports Writer The Wayne County Lady Cardinals met McCreary Central, last Saturday night at Russell Countyıs Laker Gym, in the championship game of the 47th District Tournament. The Lady Cards entered the contest with a 22-6 record and advanced into the match up with a 64-41 win over Monticello, earlier in the week. Central upset Russell County 41-33 in the opening round and owned a 15-11 mark on the season. Wayne County notched their 9th straight 47th District title and 63rd straight win against district foes with a 60-53 win over McCreary Central. Meg Latham, a 5-11 8th grade reserve and All-Tournament Selection, scored a team high 17 points with 6 rebounds, to pace three Lady Cards scoring in double-digits. Latham shot 5 of 13 from the field and 7 of 9 from the free throw line, as Wayne County built a 35-18 lead early in the third quarter and held on for a 60-53 win. Latoyia Green added 14 points with 7 rebounds and 3 assists, while tournament MVP Ashley Bell posted 13 points with 7 boards, as six different Lady Cards scored in the championship win. ³Meg stepped in and made some big clutch shots. I really thought both Kara and Latoyia showed their experience late and made some good decisions with the basketball. They packed in their zone, then Latoyia hit a couple of big threes and they had to come out and guard us, which gave Meg some room to work. Kara and Latoyia found her and the big thing is she converted on her opportunities,² said Wayne County Coach Tim Pyles. Lindsey Dishman netted 9 points, while Kara Gothrup produced another solid floor-effort with 5 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. ³We lost this game in the first half and managed to battle back, but just dug too deep of a hole to climb out of,² said Lady Raiders head coach Jerry Don Ross. McCreary Central, which dropped to 15-12, was led by talented sophomore forward Lindsey Waters. Waters, an All-Tournament Selection, scored a game high 22 points aided by a 12 of 16 effort from the free throw line. Fellow All-Tournament member Tara Tucker tallied 12 points, as five different Lady Raiders scored in the game. ³McCreary Central is a much improved basketball team and Coach Ross has done such a good job of getting their players to understand and accept their roles. Waters and Tucker are both nice players and their other girls know what theyıre capable of and stay inside the game plan,² said Pyles. The Lady Raiders shot just 29 percent from the field and were plagued by 24 turnovers, but managed to stay close late with 30 free throw attempts. Ashley Bell netted 7 points in the first quarter, as Wayne County made 6 of 15 field goal attempts and claimed a 13-7 lead. Central opened 3 of 14 from the field and was paced by the 5 points of Lindsey Waters. The Lady Cards battled foul trouble in the second stanza, with four different players picking up 2 fouls each, and used the 8 points of Meg Latham to spark a 15-9 run to own a 28-16 halftime advantage. Wayne County shot just 32 percent from the field in the first half, but the Lady Raiders connected on only 4 of 22 attempts for a paltry 18 percent, in the opening quarters. The third frame was a battle of runs. The Lady Cards opened with a 7-2 spurt to take a 35-18 lead, before McCreary Central answered with a 16-8 run of their own, to leave the score at 43-34. Five different Wayne County players scored in the period, while Central was led by the 8 points of Tara Tucker. ³We pushed out to a 17 point lead and was on the verge of breaking the game open, but then we just started fouling. Anytime you foul you stop play, which breaks momentum, plus we allowed them to rest and get their legs back,² said Pyles. Meg Latham added 7 more points, down the stretch, as the Lady Cards were outscored 19-17 in the final period and held on for a 60-53 win. The winners made 7 of 11 free throws in the closing minutes, while the Lady Raiders stayed close with a 9 of 12 effort from the charity-stripe. All-Tournament Selection Heather Stearns netted 2 points, as six of the nine Lady Cards that saw action, etched the scoring tally. McCreary Central finished 14 of 49 overall for 29 percent and connected on 4 of 15 3-pointers for 27 percent. The squad tallied on 21 of 30 free throws for 70 percent and finished with 24 turnovers. ³McCreary Central will be a dangerous team in the 12th Region Tournament and being the hosts, theyıll be a tough draw,² said Pyles. The Lady Cards finished 21 of 63 overall from the field for 33 percent and tallied on 4 of 18 3-pointers for 22 percent. The winners made 14 of 22 free throws for 64 percent and finished with 16 turnovers. Up next for the Lady Cards, now 23-6 on the season, is an opening round match-up with Garrard County in the 12th Region Tournament at McCreary Central. The teams met just over two weeks ago with Wayne County taking a 73-47 road win. ³Garrard County has a nice inside-outside game led by Abby Parsons and Ashley Meadows. We canıt worry too much about the last time we played, thatıs in the past and means nothing at this point. We must have a focused week of practice and be ready to take on a very dangerous team,² said Pyles. The Lady Lions showed just how scary they are in the finals of the 46th District Tournament. Garrard County dropped a 65-60 decision to top 15 ranked Mercer County, in their last outing. Add a comment |
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