 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Cardinals lose opener to Lincoln County 65-52 Melodie Phelps News Editor The Wayne County Cardinals began the season with a 65-52 loss to Lincoln County, during a home opener on Friday, December 2. The game marked the 37th meeting between the two teams, with the Cards leading the series 20-16. Wayne County won the 2004 meeting between the two teams, taking a 57-50 win over Lincoln County. In fact, the Cards had won five of the last six games in the series with Lincoln County. But the Patriots showed tremendous poise Friday night, as they took the early lead and held off several rallies by Wayne County to earn the win. "Lincoln County is very quick on the perimeter and they really gave us a lot of problems starting our sets on the offensive end," said Cardinal Coach Rodney Woods. " They were physical and very aggressive." Lincoln County sophomore guard Ryan Young scored six of his team's 12 first quarter points to give the Patriots the early advantage. Lincoln County was up 12-8 at the first stop. The Patriots exploded offensively in the second quarter, outscoring Wayne County 21 to 11 to take a 33-19 lead at intermission. Wayne County began to chip away at the Patriots lead in the third stanza, thanks to the sharp shooting of sophomore forward Jacob Gregory. Gregory hit three of his four 3-pointers in the third stanza to spark the Cards, as they sliced the lead to single digits. Lincoln County turned up the pressure and began to build back the cushion. The Patriots outscored Wayne County 19-16 in the third stanza to lead 52-35 going into the final quarter. "I thought our kids fought hard all night, but we just never could sustain consistent play at both ends of the court," said Woods. "We had numerous chances to quit but we tried to fight back each time they went on a run." The Cards began the fourth quarter, once again trying to chip away at the solid Lincoln County advantage. Wayne County outscored the Patriots 17-13 in the final quarter. "We are going to be a Owork in progress' for most of the year if not all season long," said Woods. "We must work hard each day to get better." The Cards were led offensively be Gregory with 16 points. Sophomore point guard Dustin Wells finished with 12 points. "I like some things I saw tonight from this young basketball team," said Woods. "Jacob Gregory shot the ball really well from three and Dustin Wells took the ball to the basket hard." "Robert Corder and Ronnie Ellis both had tough nights, but they have both worked really hard and I believe they will continue to get better," he continued. Sophomore center Cody Decker and junior guard Robert Corder both scored 9 points on the evening. Decker, who has suffered through some serious back pain in the preseason, showed promise in the post. "Cody really showed us some things in the post," said Woods. "If he continues to develop he could become a force by March." Lincoln County was led by a very balanced scoring attack. Ryan Young had 16 points, Braxton Miller scored 15 points, and Chase Overstreet had 14 in the win. On the night, Wayne County shot 37 percent, hitting 17 of 45 from the field. They were 4 of 15 for 26 percent from behind the arc. Lincoln County shot 46 percent, hitting 29 of 63 from the floor. They were 1 of 11 from behind the arc. Both teams struggled from the free throw line. Wayne County finished 14 of 24 for 58 percent, while the Patriots were 6 of 12 for only 50 percent. The Cards had 31 rebounds compared to 40 for the Patriots. Wayne County was led in rebounding by Gregory and Decker with 7 each. Decker also had 2 blocked shots in the game. Wayne County had 16 turnovers and Lincoln County had 12 for the game. "All in all it was a tough night, but we'll just go back to work and try to improve for the next game," said Woods. Wayne County, now 0-1 on the season, played at Monticello on Tuesday night. The Trojans went into the contest at 1-1, with a win over Cumberland County and a loss to Lynn Camp. Add a comment |
|
|
@ 2005 The Wayne County Outlook For more information, see our online Privacy Policy. |