The Switzerland County Lady Pacer varsity basketball team saw its six-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday night with a 50-37 defeat at the hands of South Ripley.
The Lady Raiders used a pressure fullcourt defense and an inside height advantage to wear down the Lady Pacers, but it took four quarters of back and forth basketball before Switzerland County conceded the contest.
For Switzerland County Coach Wayne Ellegood, it was about not executing at critical junctures in the game.
“We gave a good effort, they’re a great team,” Coach Ellegood said following the game. “We had our opportunities. We just missed some shots at crucial times, and against good teams when you get good looks, you’ve got to make shots.”
Also hampering the Switzerland County attack was the loss of junior Kelly Kincaid, who went down with 2:02 to play in the first half with a knee injury – and although she returned to the bench with her knee iced, she was not able to reenter the game.
“Kelly’s injury took something out of us, for sure,” the coach said. “But you can’t take anything away from South Ripley. They beat us tonight, so give them credit.”
The game started with South Ripley’s Kasey King drilling a three-pointer, but Kelly Kincaid came right back with a basket to get the Lady Pacer offense rolling. The Lady Raiders then got two straight baskets, but Hayley South converted a three-point play and Bre Hinman followed that with a jumper to tie the score at 7-7.
A Whitney Walker basket for South Ripley was matched by another basket for Hayley South, and it looked as though everyone was in for a tight battle.
South Ripley closed the first period with a run, getting a freethrow and a basket from Rachel Hensley and a bucket from Meredith Knollman that closed the first period with the Lady Raiders holding a 14-9 advantage.
An early second quarter basket expanded the South Ripley lead to seven; but Hayley South used her quickness to race into the lane offensively, forcing the Lady Raiders to foul her. Two freethrows cut the lead down to five; but that’s when the South Ripley defense began to force some turnovers at critical times.
Jessica Foster had two straight baskets inside to swell the lead to nine; and after Kristen Perry scored, the Lady Pacers applied some defensive pressure of their own.
It was at midcourt with 2:02 to play in the first half when Kelly Kincaid, twisted around to protect the ball. The junior All Conference player, who suffered a right knee injury in the Rivertown Classic last January, went to the court holding her left knee as play continued, and after Jessica Foster was fouled, play stopped so that Kelly Kincaid could be attended to.
The Pacer faithful let loose a collective sigh of relief when Kelly Kincaid was able to get up and leave the floor with some assistance, and after some time in the training room, she returned to the bench with an ice pack on her knee to cheer on her teammates.
“We don’t really know what happened,” Wayne Ellegood said of the injury. “I think she’s going to have to be examined by a doctor. I don’t think it’s an ACL, but there’s some damage to it, so it will probably cause her to miss some time, but I don’t know how much. You have to feel bad for her.”
One thing working in the Lady Pacers’ favor is that the team is now off until after Christmas, when Switzerland County will play in the “Rumble on the River” tournament at Southwestern between Christmas and New Year’s – which will give Kelly Kincaid time to recuperate and rest the knee.
As play resumed, Jessica Foster made one of her freethrow attempts; and Switzerland County got a little run as Hayley South converted two straight runners to cut the margin to 21-17. Kasey King scored for South Ripley, but that was matched by a basket from Trisha Smith, and the teams went to the halftime break with the Lady Raiders clinging to a 23-19 lead.
The third quarter was a big one for South Ripley, as the Lady Raiders outscored Switzerland County 16-10 over the eight minute span to take a 10-point lead, 39-29, with a period to play.
Again Hayley South came up big for the Lady Pacers, accounting for six points in the quarter; while Trisha Smith also had a basket and Bre Hinman converted a pair of freethrows.
On the other side of the court, Jessica Foster continued her strong inside play, accounting for six points offensively while playing the point of South Ripley’s pressure defense.
Up by 10, South Ripley looked to close out the game as the final quarter got underway, as the Lady Raiders scored the first six points of the period to take a 45-29 lead.
Switzerland County responded with baskets by Allie Mathews and Becca Sittloh, but Kasey King scored from the baseline to keep the lead at 14.
Allie Mathews had the final two Switzerland County baskets; and South Ripley got a freethrow and a late basket to close the scoring, and the Lady Pacers saw their six game winning streak slip away with a 50-37 loss.
Hayley South continued her outstanding play, leading all players with 17 points in the contest. Allie Mathews finished with six; Trisha Smith and Bre Hinman each had four; and Kristen Perry, Becca Sittloh, and Kelly Kincaid each contributed two points.
Jessica Foster led South Ripley with 16 points; and Kasey King was also in double figures with 11.
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In the junior varsity game, Switzerland County jumped out to an early lead only to see its offense go stone cold for the majority of the second half in a 31-20 loss to South Ripley.
Emily White led the Lady Pacers with eight points; while Ashley Watson finished with six. Mercedes Parham had four points; and Vicky Abbott chipped in two.