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Third time was not the charm for the Pretty Prairie Lady Bulldogs going up against the Skyline Lady Thunderbirds. In Tuesday’s opening round of the annual 54 Classic Tournament in Cunningham, the Lady T-birds defeated Pretty Prairie for the third time this season. In what would be their most convincing win to date over their HOPL foe, Skyline controlled the action from the outset and posted a solid 39-19 victory.
Head coach Jimmy Lee credited his team’s defense with allowing the T-birds to roll to a commanding 22-10 halftime lead.
“We played tight man-to-man defense all over the floor,” Lee said. “We had good ball pressure and created turnovers. If we had been able to convert on the offensive end in transition, the score would have been even more in our favor.”
Coach Lee was especially proud of his girls’ defensive intensity in the third quarter when they held the Bulldogs scoreless until the final minute, at last yielding a basket and a free throw. But it had been offensive adjustments that Lee stressed with his girls at halftime.
“We had good ball movement on offense, but we needed to not be so ‘soft’ around the basket,” Lee commented.
In the third frame, the Skyliners responded by going more aggressively to the hoop, and posted 14 points, their most productive quarter.
Lee could also see room for improvement from the charity stripe on the part of his young squad. The 5/16 performance from the free throw line was even less than the roughly 50 percent ratio that the Lady T-birds have been averaging for the season, a number the girls need to improve upon going forward.
Skyline jumped out to an early 12-4 lead after the first stanza, stretching it to 22-10 at halftime. It was the third quarter where the Lady T-birds put some distance between themselves and the Bulldogs, outscoring them 14-3. The Bulldogs exacted some measure of revenge in the 4th quarter, outscoring Skyline 6-3, but it was too little too late.
Kaitlyn Stark was the game’s leading scorer with 13 points, 12 of those coming from beyond the 3-point arc. Janessa Davis nearly carded a double-double, shooting in 9 points to go along with her 10 rebounds. Morgan Flowers contributed 7 points, Mycha Owens and Alyssa Swonger each chipped in 3. Skyline’s scoring was rounded out by Kadi Richardson and Anna Petrowsky with a pair of points each.
The Thunderbirds were big on the glass, out-rebounding the Bulldogs 21-14. Stark added 6 rebounds to the aforementioned Davis’ 9 to lead the way for Skyline. Morgan Flowers made a pest of herself on defense, carding 5 steals. Stark and Davis each came up with a pair of thefts.
With the win, the Lady Thunderbirds improved their season record to an impressive 9-2. Skyline now advances to the 54 Classic semi-final round against a talented Kinsley squad, Friday at 6:30. The senior-laden Lady Coyotes should prove to be a good test for the younger, less experienced Skyline girls.
Third time was not the charm for the Pretty Prairie Lady Bulldogs going up against the Skyline Lady Thunderbirds. In Tuesday’s opening round of the annual 54 Classic Tournament in Cunningham, the Lady T-birds defeated Pretty Prairie for the third time this season. In what would be their most convincing win to date over their HOPL foe, Skyline controlled the action from the outset and posted a solid 39-19 victory.
Head coach Jimmy Lee credited his team’s defense with allowing the T-birds to roll to a commanding 22-10 halftime lead.
“We played tight man-to-man defense all over the floor,” Lee said. “We had good ball pressure and created turnovers. If we had been able to convert on the offensive end in transition, the score would have been even more in our favor.”
Coach Lee was especially proud of his girls’ defensive intensity in the third quarter when they held the Bulldogs scoreless until the final minute, at last yielding a basket and a free throw. But it had been offensive adjustments that Lee stressed with his girls at halftime.
“We had good ball movement on offense, but we needed to not be so ‘soft’ around the basket,” Lee commented.
In the third frame, the Skyliners responded by going more aggressively to the hoop, and posted 14 points, their most productive quarter.
Lee could also see room for improvement from the charity stripe on the part of his young squad. The 5/16 performance from the free throw line was even less than the roughly 50 percent ratio that the Lady T-birds have been averaging for the season, a number the girls need to improve upon going forward.
Skyline jumped out to an early 12-4 lead after the first stanza, stretching it to 22-10 at halftime. It was the third quarter where the Lady T-birds put some distance between themselves and the Bulldogs, outscoring them 14-3. The Bulldogs exacted some measure of revenge in the 4th quarter, outscoring Skyline 6-3, but it was too little too late.
Kaitlyn Stark was the game’s leading scorer with 13 points, 12 of those coming from beyond the 3-point arc. Janessa Davis nearly carded a double-double, shooting in 9 points to go along with her 10 rebounds. Morgan Flowers contributed 7 points, Mycha Owens and Alyssa Swonger each chipped in 3. Skyline’s scoring was rounded out by Kadi Richardson and Anna Petrowsky with a pair of points each.
The Thunderbirds were big on the glass, out-rebounding the Bulldogs 21-14. Stark added 6 rebounds to the aforementioned Davis’ 9 to lead the way for Skyline. Morgan Flowers made a pest of herself on defense, carding 5 steals. Stark and Davis each came up with a pair of thefts.
With the win, the Lady Thunderbirds improved their season record to an impressive 9-2. Skyline now advances to the 54 Classic semi-final round against a talented Kinsley squad, Friday at 6:30. The senior-laden Lady Coyotes should prove to be a good test for the younger, less experienced Skyline girls.
