 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Lady Cards notch 10th straight district title with 46-39 over Southwestern Shannon Hutchinson Sports Writer The Wayne County Lady Cardinals faced tournament host Southwestern, last Friday night at SW Gym, in the championship game of the 48th District Tournament. The Lady Cards advanced into the match up with a 44-25 win over McCreary Central, while the Lady Warriors owned a 69-44 win over Monticello in the opening round. Southwestern swept the season series with wins of 58-52 and 49-42, during the regular season. Wayne County used the game high 15 points of All-Tournament selection Heather Stearns and built a 31-14 halftime lead en route to claiming a 46-39 championship win. Stearns, a 5-8 freshman guard, shot 3 of 10 from the field and 7 of 11 from the free throw line, plus grabbed 7 rebounds as the Lady Cards claimed their 10th straight district crown. "All 10 district championships are special, but this one was certainly unique to win on the road at the number one seeds place. Our kids were committed at getting a third chance at Southwestern and I was proud of our effort. I've been proud of the effort we've had in practice the last three weeks and the way we prepared for the tournament," said Wayne County Coach Tim Pyles. All-Tournament member Latoyia Green added 10 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in the win. The senior forward tallied on 5 of 10 free throws and 2 of 8 field goals in over 31-minutes of action. "A lot of this team has been around the likes of Kenita Ball, Sarah Wixson, Tricia Gothrup, Claudia Parris and Ashley Bell, so I think our girls know how to win district titles. Our experience really showed up early in this game and we were able to get off to a good start," said Pyles. Freshman forward Meg Latham posted solid numbers in the win. Latham totaled 8 points with 12 rebounds and 3 blocks, while the duo of Kara Gothrup and Courtney Duncan finished with 5 points each. All-Tournament selection Kayla Jones finished with 3 points and 7 boards, as Wayne County improved to 21-8 with the win. Southwestern, which dropped to 17-11, was plagued by poor shooting early and shot just 27 percent in the opening half. Ashley Fowler and Devin Fothergill paced the attack with 9 points each, as eight different Lady Warriors scored in the contest. "Southwestern has a very talented and very dangerous basketball team. They have the ability to win the region and could very well advance into the finals, so this was a good win for our team," said Pyles. Five different Lady Cards scored in the opening frame, as the visitors opened 7 of 16 from the field and raced to an 18-9 lead. Heather Stearns led all players with 6 points in the quarter, while Southwestern opened 4 of 11 from the field. Wayne County used a balanced attack in the second stanza to spark a 13-5 run and push to a 31-14 halftime advantage. Southwestern struggled from the field and converted on just 2 of 11 field goal attempts. "I think our experience and defense really set the tone early. I thought the first half we played pretty sharp on both ends," said Pyles. The teams played on near-even terms in the third period, as Southwestern used a 10-8 edge to close the gap to 39-24 after three frames. The Lady Cards were able to keep a double-digit lead, despite connecting on just 2 of 13 field goal attempts. Wayne County tallied on 7 of 16 free throws down the stretch, to hold off a Southwestern 15-7 rally and claim a 46-39 win. The Lady Warriors made 6 of 19 field goals, in the closing minutes. "We didn't close out like I would've hoped, but I'm not sure if fatigue was the factor. We got battered pretty good in the second half and that type of physical play can really effect you," said Pyles. A review of the stats shows Southwestern shot 16 of 51 overall for 31 percent and tallied on 4 of 19 3-pointers for 21 percent. The squad connected on 3 of 4 free throws for 75 percent and totaled 10 assists with 5 steals against 13 turnovers. Wayne County, which claimed a 35-23 rebound edge, made 14 of 45 field goal attempts for 31 and converted on 5 of 13 3-pointers for 38 percent. The winners tallied on 13 of 26 free throws for 50 percent and totaled 10 assists with 6 steals, against 11 turnovers. The Lady Cards open play on Wednesday night in the 12th Region Tournament, at Lincoln County HS Gym. The squad faces Garrard County at 6 p.m. and is in the same bracket with Rockcastle County and Burgin. "We have to go back to work and prepare for a very good Garrard County team. They're coming off a bog win over Boyle County in district play, so we know we'll have to be at our best. As this point you take a night off and your done," said Pyles. Add a comment |
|
|
@ 2005 The Wayne County Outlook For more information, see our online Privacy Policy. |