Lynchburg-Clay wins home opener over Hillsboro
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
DODSONVILLE — Lynchburg-Clay vastly improved from their season opener, as they nearly doubled their shooting percentage and fended off a veteran Hillsboro squad by a 66-60 score Monday.
For the home debut of the 2013-14 season, the Lady Mustangs jumped out to a very fast start, battled to later regain the lead they lost and eventually held onto the lead with their defense and some clutch shots to earn their first win of the season.
It was a much improved overall effort from their first game.
"I think our first game was a lot of jitters, but tonight the girls came out and played hard," LC head coach Whitney Lewis said. "Hillsboro is an aggressive team, a tough team and they are strong. I thought we would have problems with their strength … we played well with them."
Freshman Hannah Binkley led the Lady Mustangs with a game-high 19 points, while adding five rebounds, five steals and two blocks.
HHS (1-1) was led in scoring by sophomore Madison Snyder with 16 points.
"Our shooting percentage was much better than in the first game, and that makes a big difference," Lewis said. "We still have a lot to work on, but we did capitalize on our second-chance opportunities."
The aforementioned quick start by the host Lady Mustangs (1-1) saw them jump out to a 9-0 lead with 5:26 left on the first-quarter clock, where Ali Little and Binkley combined for the run of points that included a 3-pointer from Binkley at the 6:57 mark of the first.
Little finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
As a team, LC (1-1) totaled 14 blocked shots.
"Having that many blocks is good and bad," Lewis said. "It could mean we are jumping too much, but we do have length. My hope is those blocks turn into points, and that will improve as we continue to work on it."
HHS broke the run with a free-throw conversion by junior Kaylynn Bell at the 4:35 mark of the first. Bell totaled 12 points in the non-league game.
Eventually, HHS worked their way to tying the score at 13 with 1:55 left in the quarter and took a 17-16 lead to end the first with those four points by Snyder on a put-back and Bell with a layup.
"Lynchburg-Clay played a nice game," HHS head coach J.R. Moberly said. "They have a bright future ahead, but for us, we didn't do what we needed to do to get over the hump.
"We had no big defensive stops. We got close at times in the second half, but we couldn't get the lead back. We had an opportunity to show our experience after two to three years, and we just couldn't quite come up with the big play."
LC regained the lead at the start of the second quarter with a put-back basket by McKayla Binkley (10 points total), lost it following two free throws by HHS junior Hannah Kibler and took the lead right back at the 6:10 mark of the frame with a jumper from junior Madysyn Creighton for a 20-19 lead.
The Lady Mustangs never trailed again.
The second frame saw LC score a total of 21 points by five players, with six of those points off 3-pointers by Binkley, who tallied five treys in the game. Bailey Leininger also made a 3-pointer in the quarter for LC, while senior Sarah Rosselott added two points in the same frame.
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Rosselott finished with 13 points, five rebounds, five steals, five blocked shots and four assists. In her 13 points, she made one 3-pointer.
HHS also had five players score 13 points in the second, including a 3-pointer by Tyeika Cumberland. Also adding points in the second were Alyssa Sullivan, Snyder and Faith Middleton, as LC led 37-30 at halftime.
In the third, HHS cut the LC lead to three points twice in the first half of the frame as they opened with a 6-2 run of points from Bell and Middleton for a deficit of 39-36 with 4:44 on the clock.
LC answered with a jumper from Rosselott and a 3-pointer by Hannah Binkley for a 44-36 advantage.
Every time HHS chipped away at the lead of the Lady Mustangs in the third, the hosts were there to answer the score with Hannah Binkley, again, adding three points in a possession, but this time the old-fashioned way with a basket and free throw with 34.1 left in the third. Trista Rhodes brought HHS two points closer to tying the score with a put-back basket for a six-point deficit after three quarters.
Both teams were even in the fourth with 13 points each.
Also scoring points for HHS in the game was Kirsten Juillerat (four) and for LC were Morgan Fittro (two) and Madison Wills (five). Wills made a 3-pointer in the first quarter.
In JV play, LC defeated HHS, 43-32. Hillsboro's Alyssa Sullivan and Lynchburg-Clay's Lexi Waits each led their teams with 12 points apiece.
For the game, LC shot 14-of-23 from the free-throw line. HHS finished 20-of-31 from the charity stripe.
LC will play their next game Friday night as they host Georgetown in non-conference play with a JV start of 6 p.m.
HHS plays again on Wednesday, Dec. 4 when they host Fayetteville in a non-league game with a JV start of 6 p.m.
For the home debut of the 2013-14 season, the Lady Mustangs jumped out to a very fast start, battled to later regain the lead they lost and eventually held onto the lead with their defense and some clutch shots to earn their first win of the season.
It was a much improved overall effort from their first game.
"I think our first game was a lot of jitters, but tonight the girls came out and played hard," LC head coach Whitney Lewis said. "Hillsboro is an aggressive team, a tough team and they are strong. I thought we would have problems with their strength … we played well with them."
Freshman Hannah Binkley led the Lady Mustangs with a game-high 19 points, while adding five rebounds, five steals and two blocks.
HHS (1-1) was led in scoring by sophomore Madison Snyder with 16 points.
"Our shooting percentage was much better than in the first game, and that makes a big difference," Lewis said. "We still have a lot to work on, but we did capitalize on our second-chance opportunities."
The aforementioned quick start by the host Lady Mustangs (1-1) saw them jump out to a 9-0 lead with 5:26 left on the first-quarter clock, where Ali Little and Binkley combined for the run of points that included a 3-pointer from Binkley at the 6:57 mark of the first.
Little finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
As a team, LC (1-1) totaled 14 blocked shots.
"Having that many blocks is good and bad," Lewis said. "It could mean we are jumping too much, but we do have length. My hope is those blocks turn into points, and that will improve as we continue to work on it."
HHS broke the run with a free-throw conversion by junior Kaylynn Bell at the 4:35 mark of the first. Bell totaled 12 points in the non-league game.
Eventually, HHS worked their way to tying the score at 13 with 1:55 left in the quarter and took a 17-16 lead to end the first with those four points by Snyder on a put-back and Bell with a layup.
"Lynchburg-Clay played a nice game," HHS head coach J.R. Moberly said. "They have a bright future ahead, but for us, we didn't do what we needed to do to get over the hump.
"We had no big defensive stops. We got close at times in the second half, but we couldn't get the lead back. We had an opportunity to show our experience after two to three years, and we just couldn't quite come up with the big play."
LC regained the lead at the start of the second quarter with a put-back basket by McKayla Binkley (10 points total), lost it following two free throws by HHS junior Hannah Kibler and took the lead right back at the 6:10 mark of the frame with a jumper from junior Madysyn Creighton for a 20-19 lead.
The Lady Mustangs never trailed again.
The second frame saw LC score a total of 21 points by five players, with six of those points off 3-pointers by Binkley, who tallied five treys in the game. Bailey Leininger also made a 3-pointer in the quarter for LC, while senior Sarah Rosselott added two points in the same frame.
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Rosselott finished with 13 points, five rebounds, five steals, five blocked shots and four assists. In her 13 points, she made one 3-pointer.
HHS also had five players score 13 points in the second, including a 3-pointer by Tyeika Cumberland. Also adding points in the second were Alyssa Sullivan, Snyder and Faith Middleton, as LC led 37-30 at halftime.
In the third, HHS cut the LC lead to three points twice in the first half of the frame as they opened with a 6-2 run of points from Bell and Middleton for a deficit of 39-36 with 4:44 on the clock.
LC answered with a jumper from Rosselott and a 3-pointer by Hannah Binkley for a 44-36 advantage.
Every time HHS chipped away at the lead of the Lady Mustangs in the third, the hosts were there to answer the score with Hannah Binkley, again, adding three points in a possession, but this time the old-fashioned way with a basket and free throw with 34.1 left in the third. Trista Rhodes brought HHS two points closer to tying the score with a put-back basket for a six-point deficit after three quarters.
Both teams were even in the fourth with 13 points each.
Also scoring points for HHS in the game was Kirsten Juillerat (four) and for LC were Morgan Fittro (two) and Madison Wills (five). Wills made a 3-pointer in the first quarter.
In JV play, LC defeated HHS, 43-32. Hillsboro's Alyssa Sullivan and Lynchburg-Clay's Lexi Waits each led their teams with 12 points apiece.
For the game, LC shot 14-of-23 from the free-throw line. HHS finished 20-of-31 from the charity stripe.
LC will play their next game Friday night as they host Georgetown in non-conference play with a JV start of 6 p.m.
HHS plays again on Wednesday, Dec. 4 when they host Fayetteville in a non-league game with a JV start of 6 p.m.