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Somerset holds off Monticello Lady Trojans 61-60 Shannon Hutchinson Sports Writer The Monticello Lady Trojans met 12th Region rival Somerset last Friday night at MHS Gym, in the regular season finale for both teams. The Lady Trojans were coming off losses to Clinton County and Berea earlier in the week and owned a 1-22 overall mark. Somerset, coming off an impressive 58-47 win over "All-A" champion Danville, entered with an 8-18 record. Somerset sophomore guard Chelsea Felts tallied 5 of her team high 12 points in the final quarter, as the Lady Jumpers lost three of four quarters but managed to hold on for a 61-60 road win. Reserve guard Ally Childers added 12 points and Jessica Coffey tallied 10 points, as reserves totaled 27 of Somerset's 61 points. The sophomore duo of Caroline Clay and Polly West tallied 9 points each, as eight different Lady Jumpers scored in the win. "By far this was our best four quarter effort of the season. Everybody played hard and aggressive, this was our most complete game of the year. Our last three games we've played better. I just wish we could've played this way earlier in the season. On Senior Night in front of a good crowd, we played with the emotion and intensity needed to win games," said Monticello Coach Marla Kelsch. Monticello, which dropped to 1-23, was led by the 13 points each of Whitney Owens and Mary Beth Cooper. Owens finished 5 of 9 from the field, which included a 2 of 4 effort from 3-point range, plus totaled 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists in 20 minutes of action. Cooper, a 5-9 sophomore forward, shot 4 of 5 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free throw line, plus grabbed a team best 8 rebounds, in 23 minutes of action. "Whitney really got off to a fast start early and Mary Beth played one of her best games of the season. Mary Beth gave a big overall effort and I thought she made some nice moves to the basket, plus she stepped up and made free throws," said Kelsch. Senior guard Britany Carrender made the most of her last game at MHS Gym. The stalwart posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists, plus tallied 4 steals with a 5 of 10 effort from the field. Raven Frost tallied 11 points with 3 boards, as a season best four Lady Trojans reached double digits. "We shot the ball pretty well and anytime you get four scorers in double figures, you should have a chance to win the game," said Kelsch. Whitney Owens exploded for 9 points in the opening quarter, as Monticello opened 7 of 10 from the field and raced to a 20-15 lead. The Lady Jumpers stayed close with a 7 of 12 effort from the charity-stripe in the opening minutes. "The first quarter was without question our best quarter of the season," said Kelsch. The Somerset combo of Felts and Childers totaled 15 points in the second stanza, as the Lady Jumpers used a 24-10 run to take a 39-30 halftime advantage. The visitors connected on 15 of 26 free throws in the opening half. "Our movement wasn't as sharp and we didn't apply the type of pressure we did early on," said Kelsch. Monticello trailed despite shooting 60 percent from the field in the half. Five different Lady Trojans scored in the third frame, as the hosts used a 16-12 edge to close the gap to 51-46 after three periods. The Lady Trojans rallied to take the lead back late, but couldn't hold on as Somerset was outscored 14-10 en route to taking a 61-60 win. Monticello made 5 of 10 free throws down the stretch, while the Lady Jumpers tallied on 5 of 8 free throws, to seal the win. Cortney Morrow finished with 5 points and Chelsea Humble totaled 3 points in the game. Kayla West and Jackie Anderson contributed 2 and 1 point respectively, as eight different Lady Trojans scored in the contest. Somerset finished 18 of 36 overall for 50 percent and connected on 3 of 11 3-pointers for 27 percent. The squad made 22 of 35 free throws for 59 percent and finished with 27 turnovers. Monticello, which claimed a 28-19 rebound advantage, shot a season high 22 of 40 overall for 55 percent. The squad converted on 4 of 10 3-pointers for 40 percent and made 12 of 23 free throws for 52 percent. The Lady Trojans totaled 15 assists and 14 steals against 33 turnovers. "Emotionally this was almost like a win for our team. We played our best game and if we could've played like that all season I think we would've won several more games," said Kelsch. Up next for the Lady Trojans is the tough task of facing 48th District Tournament host and #1 seed Southwestern on Monday night. The Lady Warriors finished the district with a perfect 6-0 record and dominated both games between the teams in the regular season. "We know that they are the big favorites. I just hope we play with the same emotion and intensity that we had against Somerset. We just want to play the best that we can and see what happens," said Kelsch. Add a comment |
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