LC gets total team effort in SHL win over Lady Dragons
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
DODSONVILLE — The Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs bounced back in a big way Monday night, defeating the West Union Lady Dragons with defense and top-notch shooting for a 76-23 Southern Hills League win.
LC was coming off a close two-point loss (47-45) last Thursday to the Fayetteville Lady Rockets.
Monday night was a different story.
The win wasn't just dominating, but a complete team effort with all nine Lady Mustangs scoring points, as all nine played valuable minutes.
LC (3-1) out-scored the Lady Dragons 21-7 in the first quarter, almost gaining enough points in the first eight minutes to seal the win.
The Lady Mustangs started off their home-opener by scoring 14 straight points, not allowing West Union to score until the 4:03 mark.
In the 14-0 tempo-setting run, junior Brooke Hertlein scored first, followed with a steal and layup by senior Lillian Blankenship. Senior Meredith Fittro and Blankenship followed with back-to-back 3-pointers for a 10-0 lead.
Blankenship followed with two free-throw conversions, and senior Hannah Blankenship finished the run with a wide-open jumper. Sophomore Laney Lewis scored points towards the end of the frame to put LC up by 14 points.
Lillian Blankenship led all scorers with a game-high 17 points, also tallying eight steals and six assists. Blankenship has scored 17 or more points in all four games this season.
Three more Lady Mustangs finished in double digits in the scoring column, with Fittro finishing with 13 (two 3-pointers), followed by Hertlein with 12 and junior Karen Hilt with 10 points and six steals off the bench. Hertlein was 6-of-9 from the floor with eight rebounds and four blocks.
"Karen had an excellent game," LC head coach Tiffany Barnett said. "It was good to get all the girls in the game. It was a nice opportunity for them, and they took advantage of it."
Lewis scored seven points with eight rebounds. Hannah Blankenship had seven points.
Sophomore Emma Setty scored six points for LC, followed with senior Lisa Rhonemus and sophomore Ashley Tenas each scoring two points.
From the free-throw line LC was 12-of-20.
It wasn't just the scoring effort by the Lady Mustangs that won the game; it was their overall rebounding, with 38 total boards.
"We rebounded well for the most part. We only missed seven defensive rebound attempts, so that is good at the varsity level," Barnett said. "It was expected with our height advantage, but we still need to work on boxing out on the weak side."
LC began the second quarter in the same fashion as they did in the first frame with 12-0 run to take a 33-7 advantage. In that run, Lillian Blankenship scored six points, scoring twice via steal and going straight to the hoop in transition.
Starting the third frame up by 23 points, LC once again had a big run to start a quarter, this time with a 9-0 run. Later in the third, Fittro sank a 3-pointer to put LC up 50-18.
In the final eight minutes, LC began with 15 straight points, when bench players showcased their talents for the fans in attendance.
Setty drained a jumper to start the quarter, followed with seven straight points by
Hilt, including a three-point play.
Tenas sank a turn-around jumper straight through the hoop, and Setty scored her fourth point of the quarter to put LC up 65-18. Later in the quarter, Rhonemus sank a jump shot.
LC will host their second straight home game on Thursday when they host SHL foe Eastern Brown.