Off-night shooting, turnovers cost Lady Mustangs WATCH THE VIDEOS
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
DODSONVILLE — Thursday night at Lynchburg-Clay High School was one of those nights when shots went every way but through the hoop.
With a first half full of missed shots, along with defensive pressure from both squads, it was the North Adams Lady Green Devils who finished with the higher score, defeating LC, 39-37 at LCHS.
LC finishes its Southern Hills League season with the loss, wrapping up with a 7-6 league mark on the year. The Lady Mustangs are 12-7 overall with one game remaining this season, a make-up game against the Washington Blue Lions this coming Saturday at LCHS with a start time of 2 p.m.
For the game, LC shot 25 percent from the field (14-of-56) while committing 20 turnovers.
"I think we shot poorly, but you can't have 20 turnovers and expect to beat a team at the varsity level." LC head coach Tiffany Barnett said. "Especially a team that is as good as North Adams.
"They didn't pressure us as much as last time. They only pressure us in the fourth quarter. A lot of our turnover problems was just us making mistakes, and we have to correct that."
For the game, Brooke Hertlein had 15 rebounds and nine points. She also tallied two steals and one block.
The first half ended with both teams tied at 13. LC led 6-3 after the first quarter. NA outscored LC, 10-7 in the second frame.
In the opening quarter, the first points were scored with 4:43 left in the frame after Hertlein sank a free throw for LC. The first shot from the field was connected when North Adams' Emily Fite connected with a layup while being fouled in the paint with 2:14 left on the scoreboard. She converted the three-point play with a free throw for a 3-1 lead. Fite led NA with 12 points.
LC wrapped up the quarter with a 3-pointer from Karen Hilt and inside points from Laney Lewis. Lewis finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, four steals, two blocked shots and one assist.
In the second frame, which ended the first with the aforementioned 13-13 tie, it was North Adams making a 3-pointer by Corey Pertuset, who tied the game at six.
Lillian Blankenship, who tallied six points, broke the tie with 5:31 left in the second. Hertlein off-set points by the Lady Green Devils with a jumper and a bucket in the paint, putting LC up 12-8. Hannah Blankenship scored the final LC point of the quarter with a free throw.
In the second, NA went 2-for-7 from the free-throw line. Scoring NA's points in the quarter were Fite and Alisan Sparks. Sparks scored five points in the quarter, including a 3-pointer. Sparks ended the game with nine points.
The tied score was broken once the third frame ended, with NA leading, 26-22.
NA scored first in the third frame with a three-point play by Ashley DeBord 40 seconds into the quarter. Lewis answered with back-to-back baskets to put LC back in the top spot at 17-16, leaving 4:42 in the frame.
After losing the lead, LC took it back, this time with Lewis scoring from the free-throw line.
LC held the lead for 15 seconds as DeBord made a free throw, and Laynee Davis knocked down five-straight points, including a 3-pointer, with 37 seconds left in the quarter for an NA lead of 24-21.
NA finished the quarter with Sparks stealing the ball and going to the hoop with 3 seconds remaining. Davis had seven points.
Trailing by four points with 8:00 to go in the game, LC tied the game at the 6:38 mark with four points to begin the quarter, the tying points from Lewis.
Hannah Blankenship tied the game for the second time in the quarter as she powered the ball to the hoop with 5:23 left in regulation. The senior tied the game again with a 3-pointer at the 2:17 mark. Blankenship finished with six points.
But it was the free-throw opportunities that led NA to their win. In a span of nearly one minute, NA went 4-of-6 from the free-throw line, with Sparks and Fite converting two free throws apiece.
Lillian Blankenship sank a jumper, but NA came back with two more free-throw conversions from Fite.
With 18.4 seconds left, Fite made her final free throw to put NA up two possessions at 39-35. Hertlein made a jumper as the buzzer sounded. Also scoring in the fourth frame for NA was Taylor Gast.
"There is no doubt the girls played hard, I don't doubt that. It is just getting over that hump," Barnett said. "We have to attack the basket and be aggressive. We are content to just shoot from the outside, and we can't do that."
NA improves to 13-7 overall, wrapping up their regular season.
LC will play Adena in their tournament game on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Valley High School, in Lucasville.[[In-content Ad]]
With a first half full of missed shots, along with defensive pressure from both squads, it was the North Adams Lady Green Devils who finished with the higher score, defeating LC, 39-37 at LCHS.
LC finishes its Southern Hills League season with the loss, wrapping up with a 7-6 league mark on the year. The Lady Mustangs are 12-7 overall with one game remaining this season, a make-up game against the Washington Blue Lions this coming Saturday at LCHS with a start time of 2 p.m.
For the game, LC shot 25 percent from the field (14-of-56) while committing 20 turnovers.
"I think we shot poorly, but you can't have 20 turnovers and expect to beat a team at the varsity level." LC head coach Tiffany Barnett said. "Especially a team that is as good as North Adams.
"They didn't pressure us as much as last time. They only pressure us in the fourth quarter. A lot of our turnover problems was just us making mistakes, and we have to correct that."
For the game, Brooke Hertlein had 15 rebounds and nine points. She also tallied two steals and one block.
The first half ended with both teams tied at 13. LC led 6-3 after the first quarter. NA outscored LC, 10-7 in the second frame.
In the opening quarter, the first points were scored with 4:43 left in the frame after Hertlein sank a free throw for LC. The first shot from the field was connected when North Adams' Emily Fite connected with a layup while being fouled in the paint with 2:14 left on the scoreboard. She converted the three-point play with a free throw for a 3-1 lead. Fite led NA with 12 points.
LC wrapped up the quarter with a 3-pointer from Karen Hilt and inside points from Laney Lewis. Lewis finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, four steals, two blocked shots and one assist.
In the second frame, which ended the first with the aforementioned 13-13 tie, it was North Adams making a 3-pointer by Corey Pertuset, who tied the game at six.
Lillian Blankenship, who tallied six points, broke the tie with 5:31 left in the second. Hertlein off-set points by the Lady Green Devils with a jumper and a bucket in the paint, putting LC up 12-8. Hannah Blankenship scored the final LC point of the quarter with a free throw.
In the second, NA went 2-for-7 from the free-throw line. Scoring NA's points in the quarter were Fite and Alisan Sparks. Sparks scored five points in the quarter, including a 3-pointer. Sparks ended the game with nine points.
The tied score was broken once the third frame ended, with NA leading, 26-22.
NA scored first in the third frame with a three-point play by Ashley DeBord 40 seconds into the quarter. Lewis answered with back-to-back baskets to put LC back in the top spot at 17-16, leaving 4:42 in the frame.
After losing the lead, LC took it back, this time with Lewis scoring from the free-throw line.
LC held the lead for 15 seconds as DeBord made a free throw, and Laynee Davis knocked down five-straight points, including a 3-pointer, with 37 seconds left in the quarter for an NA lead of 24-21.
NA finished the quarter with Sparks stealing the ball and going to the hoop with 3 seconds remaining. Davis had seven points.
Trailing by four points with 8:00 to go in the game, LC tied the game at the 6:38 mark with four points to begin the quarter, the tying points from Lewis.
Hannah Blankenship tied the game for the second time in the quarter as she powered the ball to the hoop with 5:23 left in regulation. The senior tied the game again with a 3-pointer at the 2:17 mark. Blankenship finished with six points.
But it was the free-throw opportunities that led NA to their win. In a span of nearly one minute, NA went 4-of-6 from the free-throw line, with Sparks and Fite converting two free throws apiece.
Lillian Blankenship sank a jumper, but NA came back with two more free-throw conversions from Fite.
With 18.4 seconds left, Fite made her final free throw to put NA up two possessions at 39-35. Hertlein made a jumper as the buzzer sounded. Also scoring in the fourth frame for NA was Taylor Gast.
"There is no doubt the girls played hard, I don't doubt that. It is just getting over that hump," Barnett said. "We have to attack the basket and be aggressive. We are content to just shoot from the outside, and we can't do that."
NA improves to 13-7 overall, wrapping up their regular season.
LC will play Adena in their tournament game on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Valley High School, in Lucasville.[[In-content Ad]]