This game started off almost as ugly as the first meeting. SK fell in a hole in the first half and slowly dug out to close within two at the intermission. The score was a whopping 18-16 at half-time. While there wasn’t a lot of scoring going on, the thing that was established was the tone of the game. Let’s just say it wasn’t nice.
Bring on the second half. If you are a reader of this Blog, you will usually find that I am pretty PC about the notes I provide. I try to be positive and not judgmental. Maybe a little biased at times, but look at the title of the Blog- it is supposed to be biased. I thought about what to record for tonight’s post and kind of struggled a little bit with what to say.
Here’s my simplified account of the game: New Cath popped SK, the Pioneers popped back and showed a different side to their game. New Cath responded to SK popping back but it got them in foul trouble down the stretch and they lost some composure. There was actually one play where a couple of kids ended on the floor. A kick or a shove was exchanged and the refs actually had to step in to the melee. Obviously something you don’t see in a girl’s game very often. That particular play got the three guys in stripes involved and that probably didn’t fall to New Cath’s favor. In the end, I am sure both coaches felt relieved that they left the gym without any injuries. The stands? Alright, I’ll revert back to PC.
Unlike SK’s last loss against NDA, the Pioneers found a level of composure that took them to the win. The Pioneers didn't lead until 3 minutes in the game when they took a 39-38 lead. SK trailed 42-41 with 25 seconds to go in the game but scored the last 4 points for the 45-42 win. The end of the game got a little dicey. The Pioneers tied up the Breds for a jumpball and everyone thought the game was over. The refs reset the clock to 1 second and gave New Cath the ball. The Breds got the inbounds pass and fired off a shot that hit the rim. Game over. My notes say that the Pioneers trailed by a score of 32-22 going into the fourth and ended up scoring more points in the last frame than they did the whole game. A nice comeback.
Kayla Smith and Chelsea Tolliver were the Pioneers double figure scorers.
The Pioneers will now play on Friday night at 8:15 against Dixie.
Chelsea got hounded all night. Here she gets fouled and converts the traditional 3 point play.
This is Coach Stowers rousing the troops before the fourth quarter.
Close High Hand! A nice shot at the Basketball Classic sign. It was Classic alright.
Kayla getting position down the stretch.
Big play of the game; Aly dives for the loose ball.
Following big play of the game; things get dicey as the ref has to jump in here. Let's just say that still pictures don't do this scene justice.
