The Switzerland County Lady Pacer basketball team had its game with South Ripley postponed last week due to winter weather; and the cold snap that delayed the game stayed around to impact the Lady Pacer offense on Saturday afternoon, as Switzerland County managed to shoot only 22-percent from the floor in losing by a score of 52-37.
Jenna Daugherty got things started with an inside basket; but South Ripley responded with a run of nine straight points over the next three minutes.
Bre Hinman scored to stop the run; and after South Ripley converted a freethrow, two charities by Jenna Daugherty cut the Lady Raider lead to 10-6 with 2:53 to play in the opening period.
South Ripley again went on the offensive, reeling off six straight points on the shoulders of Erica Ester to swell the lead to 10, 16-6.
A traditional three-point play by Kristen Perry in the opening quarter’s final minute drew the Lady Pacers back to within a 16-9 count after eight minutes of play.
Kasey King opened the second stanza for South Ripley with a pair of freethrows; and the Lady Pacers appeared to get an offensive spark moments later when Maggie Armstrong drilled a three-pointer to cut the lead down to six.
But again just as Switzerland County attempted to climb back into the game, South Ripley went on another run, scoring six straight points as a frustrated Coach Wayne Ellegood and his coaching staff tried to get the Lady Pacers on the right page offensively.
Katie Rayls had two straight baskets off of the bench, but Switzerland County just couldn’t string a series of points together to cut into the Lady Raider advantage.
Switzerland County was also struggling with foul trouble, as starters Jenna Daugherty and Kristen Perry spent time on the bench with two fouls before halftime.
Neither team scored over the final two minutes of the half, and South Ripley went to the break holding a 27-16 advantage.
South Ripley shot a respectable 43-percent in the first half from the field (9-for-21); while Switzerland County was 6-for-26, 23-percent. The Lady Raiders also spent considerable time at the freethrow line over the game’s first 16 minutes, going 9-for-15; while Switzerland County was just 3-for-3.
The halftime break didn’t warm up the Lady Pacer offense, as South Ripley outscored their hosts by a 9-4 count over the quarter’s first four minutes to expand the lead to 36-20.
Jenna Daugherty had both Lady Pacer baskets – the second on a tremendous assist from point guard Casey Sharp.
Switzerland County was also staying in foul trouble, as Jenna Daugherty and Kristen Perry each picked up their third personals before the period was half over; and Carrie Truax was also saddled with her second.
Jenna Daugherty went to the line at the three minute mark for a pair of freethrows, and after she converted the first, the second attempt bounced free and was corralled by Kristen Perry, whose put-back cut the lead to 13 and gave Switzerland County fans some hope.
That hope was dashed in moments, as South Ripley hit four straight freethrow on its way to outscoring Switzerland County 6-1 over the quarter’s final 2:30 to grab a 42-24 lead after three stanzas.
Switzerland County would outscore South Ripley by a 13-10 count over the final eight minutes, but again the Lady Pacers could not sustain an offensive run long enough to threaten the South Ripley lead.
Maggie Armstrong made four straight freethrows to open the quarter; but those were followed by Lindsay Scott and Katie Rayls each missing the front ends of one-and-ones to stall the run.
South Ripley pushed the lead to 20 at 48-28 with 3:11 to play, and both teams played out the string from there.
Hailee Smith made a pair of freethrows and Lindsay Scott hit a basket in the closing moments of the contest; and Katie Rayls and Bre Hinman also contributed in the final quarter.
At the final buzzer, South Ripley simply overwhelmed Switzerland County, and the game ended with the Lady Raiders winning by a score of 52-37.
Switzerland County’s shooting didn’t get any better in the second half, as the Lady Pacers were 5-for-23 for 22-percent; ending the game 11-for-49 overall – or 22.4-percent.
The Lady Pacers were 11-for-16 from the freethrow line in the second half for 69-percent; but Coach Ellegood’s squad couldn’t get off a three-point attempt in the second half while facing a stingy South Ripley defense.
Rebounding was also an issue, as South Ripley held a staggering 45-23 rebounding advantage. It wasn’t a very pretty game in terms of ball handling, as South Ripley committed 29 turnovers and Switzerland County committed 19.
Jenna Daugherty led Switzerland County with nine points; and she also had five rebounds. Maggie Armstrong had seven points and seven steals; and Kristen Perry added six points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Lindsay Scott had five points, three rebounds, and four steals; Hailee Smith and Katie Rayls had four points each; and Bre Hinman finished with two points.
Erica Ester led South Ripley with 20 points; and Jordan Vinup was in double figures with 10.
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The Lady Pacer junior varsity defeated South Ripley by a final score of 34-23.
Trisha Smith led Switzerland County with 10 points and four rebounds; while Kelly Kincaid had seven points, seven rebounds, and four steals.
Becca Sittloh and Hayley South each finished with five points; Allie Mathews added three points; while Emma Clements and Karoline Park each chipped in two points.