Coming into last Thursday night’s regular season finale, the Switzerland County Lady Pacers were looking to gain some momentum heading into tournament play.
The Lady Pacers got just that, as they spoiled Madison Shawe’s chances of finishing alone in second place in the conference with a 58-54 victory.
The game was also a spotlight for a stingy Lady Pacer defense, as they held Maria Berry – the conference’s leading scorer and the leading scorer in Lady Hilltopper history – without a field goal until there was 5:22 to play in the game.
Switzerland County, meanwhile, turned up the defensive pressure early, forcing Shawe into several turnovers and converting them into a 12-5 lead. Megan McCarty played a big role in the early success, accounting for six of the teams points while Courtney Cole added four and Morgan Ross had the other two.
A three-point play by Courtney Cole finished off the first quarter scoring, and both teams went to the first break with Switzerland County holding a 15-7 lead.
The Lady Pacers didn’t let up in the second stanza, getting baskets from Megan McCarty, Courtney Cole, and Kristen Perry to push the lead out to 12 early in the quarter.
After a Shawe basket, senior Tanya Sefton scored to keep the lead secure; and that was followed by baskets by Maggie Armstrong and Courtney Cole to swell the lead to 27-11.
Shawe got some key offensive play by Ebony Inskeep to keep the Lady Hilltoppers close, but at the half Switzerland County held a 31-19.
The third quarter started with Switzerland County getting a freethrow from Megan McCarty and a basket from Courtney Cole to make the lead 15 points; but Shawe answered with four straight freethrows by Maria Berry to cut the lead to 11.
Kristen Perry then made a freethrow ; but Ebony Inskeep scored again to cut the lead down to 10.
Switzerland County then went on another offensive run, getting baskets by Kristen Perry, Courtney Cole, and April Thieman to claim a 16-point advantage.
Shawe then outscored the Lady Pacers 7-2 for the remainder of the period, but the Lady Pacers still held a 43-32 lead with eight minutes to play.
Shawe opened the final quarter with a three-pointer, and after Morgan Ross scored inside for Switzerland County, the Lady Hilltoppers reeled off five straight points to climb to within five points and bring their fans back into the contest.
The Lady Pacers responded again, getting a basket by April Thieman and four key freethrows by Megan McCarty to push the lead back to 11 with less than four minutes to play.
Shawe answered with a run of four straight; but Switzerland County again got two freethrows from Megan McCarty. The Lady Hilltoppers then cut the lead to five on a bucket and a pair of freethrows, but Maggie Armstrong stopped the bleeding with a jumper.
Switzerland County then got a pair of freethrows from Courtney Cole and a freethrow by Megan McCarty, and the game ended with the Lady Pacers holding a 58-54 advantage.
Courtney Cole led the Lady Pacers with 21 points on the night; while Megan McCarty continued her outstanding play with 16 points. Kristen Perry added seven points; Maggie Armstrong, Morgan Ross, and April Thieman had four points each; and Tanya Sefton finished with two.
*
The Lady Pacer junior varsity team claimed the ORVC championship with a 38-11 victory over Madison Shawe.
Jenna Daugherty led the Lady Pacers with 12 points; while Lindsay Scott and Casey Sharp each finished with six. Becca Sittloh and Emma Clements each had four points; while Halie Smith, Katie Rayls, and Paige Kelly had two points each.