The Switzerland County Lady Pacers claimed a share of the Ohio River Valley Conference title last Thursday night with a 76-34 pasting of the Shawe Lady Hilltoppers.
With the victory, Switzerland County finishes in a three-way tie with Jac-Cen-Del and Southwestern for the conference crown. Each of the teams finished with one conference loss.
Needing to defeat Shawe to earn a piece of the crown, the Lady Pacers took control quickly, as Kodi Driver connected on two three-point shots to open the game.
The Lady Pacers held the Lady Hilltoppers to only seven points in the first quarter. Even though Shawe had possession several times in the opening period, it just seemed they couldn’t connect, as the Switzerland County defense continued to clamp down and not allow uncontested shots.
Lady Pacers Ashley Chase, Ashley Bright and Courtney Cole all added to Kodi Drivers points to end the quarter with the Switzerland County holding a commanding lead, 19-7.
The second quarter was just as aggressive for the Lady Pacers — defensively and offensively. Switzerland County continued to score at will on one end of the floor; and on the defensive end the Lady Pacer defense continued to limit the Lady Hilltopper scoring opportunities, holding Shawe to just nine points in the period and 16 in the first half; and both teams went to the break with Switzerland County out in front comfortably, 35-16.
The second half of game wasn’t much better for Shawe, as the Lady Pacers took an even bigger lead — and by the end of the third quarter, Switzerland County had built a 30 point lead, and the share of the conference championship was firmly in hand.
Even with the big lead, the Lady Pacers kept up the pressure on defense, allowing the Lady Hilltoppers to score only eight points by the end of the third quarter. Ashley Bright had contributed two three-point shots during the period; and the quarter ended with a score of 54-24, with Switzerland County firmly in command.
Ashley Bright started the final quarter with a three-point shot; followed by Amber Smith chipping in two at the line. The Lady Hilltoppers tried to gain some points by hitting a three-point shot and several baskets; but could not catch up on the big lead that the Lady Pacers had established.
Ashley Chase and Courtney Cole were successful on shots; and Natalie Daugherty and April Thieman both played good defensive games, and also added to the score before the game would end.
Brittany Hall finishing the game with a basket in the closing seconds, ending the game with a big win, 76-34.
Leading the Lady Pacers in scoring was Ashley Chase with 24 points; and she also had 13 rebounds and five assists. Ashley Bright was also in double digits with 18 points, including four three-pointers; and she also had five assists.
Courtney Cole had nine points and four assists; Natalie Daugherty chipped in seven points; Kodi Driver and April Thieman each had six points; Amber Smith finished with four; and Brittany Hall chipped in two.
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The Lady Pacers jayvee team finished its last game of the season with a win, 28-25.
“The jayvee team has matured a lot this season and come a long way,” coach Steven Konkle said. “We’ve had a very rewarding season — maybe not in points — but in becoming better as a team. It was hard having the girls practice with being pulled up and down between teams. Overall, I’m very happy with the season and I think the girls learned a lot.”
The junior varsity team finishes the season 7-11 overall and 3-3 in the ORVC.
Leading the Lady Pacers in scoring was Tanya Sefton with 11 points; Morgan Ross and Krista Wengert each had four points; Megan McCarty had three points; while Brittany Hall, Shana Todd and Lauren Chase each chipped in two.
Jenna Daugherty had the most rebounds with four and Krista Wengert had the most assists with three.