The Switzerland County Lady Pacers ran their winning streak to five games on Tuesday night with a dominating 69-36 win over Lawrenceburg. The Lady Pacer offense hit on all cylinders throughout the game, scoring nearly as many points in the first half as the Lady Tigers managed all night.
“Overall I thought we did a much better job than we did at Milan,” Coach Wayne Ellegood said following the game. “The kids played with intensity tonight. We let down defensively a little bit in the second half, but I can’t complain much.”
The Lady Pacer defensive intensity was certainly there in the first half, limiting Lawrenceburg to just 11 points at halftime – seven in the first quarter and four in the second.
Lawrenceburg’s Liz Schornick kicked off the scoring with a freethrow, but that would be the only lead that the Lady Tigers would have in the contest.
Switzerland County then reeled off nine straight points over a six minute span as part of a 17-2 run to take control of the game.
Hayley South got things started with a pair of baskets; and those were followed by a three-pointer by Kelly Kincaid and an inside bucket by Trisha Smith.
After Lawrenceburg scored, Switzerland County responded with a basket and a three-pointer by Kelly Kincaid; and then a traditional three-point play by Hayley South. Liz Schornick then scored two straight baskets for the Lady Tigers, but Hayley South closed the first quarter scoring with a runner that made the score 19-7 after eight minutes of play.
As the second stanza got started, Switzerland County got baskets from Allie Mathews and a three-pointer from Kelly Kincaid to extend the lead to 24-7; and after Lawrenceburg scored again, the Lady Pacers got a pair of freethrows from Trisha Smith.
Switzerland County would then close the half on a 9-2 run, getting two baskets from Kelly Kincaid and a pair of buckets from Trisha Smith, as well as a freethrow from Hayley South.
When the teams went to the halftime break, Switzerland County held a commanding 35-11 advantage.
The second half opened with senior Kristen Perry converting a steal at halfcourt into an easy layup, and the rout continued.
Lawrenceburg did manage to show some offensive burst in the second half, being outscored 34-25 over the third and fourth periods; but after the first half outburst, the game was never in doubt.
Bre Hinman hit a baseline jumper in the third quarter to keep the offense rolling; and Kristen Perry hit two more shots sandwiched around a Trisha Smith basket that pushed the lead to 30.
Trisha Smith scored again inside, and that was followed by a three-pointer from Becca Sittloh and another basket by Hayley South.
The third quarter ended with Switzerland County in front, 52-25.
The fourth period saw Coach Ellegood substitute freely, finally clearing his bench with just over two minutes to play.
Hayley South, Becca Sittloh, and Trisha Smith each had another basket before finishing their nights; and Kelly Kincaid hit another three-pointer before taking a seat.
Allie Mathews and Emily White each had buckets in closing out the game; and Ashley Watson contributed two baskets to finish off the scoring.
Final score at the buzzer, Switzerland County 69, Lawrenceburg 36.
Balance was the key all night offensively, as Kelly Kincaid’s 15 points led the Switzerland County offense. Hayley South and Trisha Smith each had 14 points to make it three Lady Pacers in double figures; and Kristen Perry was right behind, finishing with nine.
Becca Sittloh added five points, Allie Mathews and Ashley Watson had four each; and Bre Hinman and Emily White each chipped in two.
“I think that’s the story of this team,” Coach Ellegood said of the offensive balance. “We’ve got several kids who can score. Becca Sittloh came off the bench tonight and played really well, I thought. Allie Mathews did a really good job, too, off of the bench. We’re getting there, and when we put out this type of effort, we’re doing the right things.”
“I thought our man-to-man offense was really good night,” Coach Ellegood said. “We missed some shots that we should make, but those things happen.”
Defensively, the coach hailed his halfcourt defense, noting that the squad has been so good with its halfcourt defense, the coaching staff really doesn’t want to tinker too much with trying new things.
Kristen Perry led the rebounding effort with 10, and she also had two assists and two steals. Hayley South had eight boards, and Kelly Kincaid and Trisha Smith had five rebounds each. Becca Sittloh finished with five assists; while Kelly Kincaid added four.
Lawrenceburg was led by Liz Schornick, who finished with 19 points.
The Lady Pacers now travel to Oldenburg this Saturday night for a 6 p.m. start. The team’s record now stands at 5-1.
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In the junior varsity game, Switzerland County fell to Lawrenceburg by a score of 33-25.
Emily White led the Lady Pacers with 12 points; while Bre Ricketts and Shelby O’Neal each finished with four. Mercedes Parham had three points; and Ashley Watson added two.