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Lady Tigers edged by Warrensburg
Despite a hard-fought effort, the Nevada Lady Tigers fell to Warrensburg 57-53 Friday night in Wynn Gym. With the loss, Nevada is 3-8 overall and 0-5 in the West Central Conference.
"I am so proud of my girls," Nevada head coach Jenny Allard said after the game. "Tuesday against Seneca, our effort just wasn't there. We were in slow-motion. It was like we were playing under-water basketball all night.
"The girls worked hard in practice and responded well tonight. If we can have this kind of effort every night, then good things are going to happen."
The Lady Tigers led 13-9 after the first quarter. Warrensburg however, opened the second quarter on a 6-2 run to knot the score at 15 apiece. Nevada center Renee Cox put Nevada up 17-15 with a bucket in the low-post.
Warrensburg began to heat up as point guard Alli Rhone and shooting guard Hally Piontek did major offensive damage, helping Warrensburg close out the second half on a 14-4 run. Nevada trailed 29-21 at the half.
Warrensburg emerged from the locker room scorching hot, going on a 7-0 blitz to increase its lead to 15.
Nevada began to cut into the lead midway through the third quarter, as Brooke Sargent swished a 3-pointer from the left-wing. Sargent continued her solid play, hitting forward Megan Payne with an entry-pass for the basket and foul. After the Payne free throw to complete the three-point play, the Lady Tigers trailed 36-27.
Nevada's extended run continued with a Megan Hold trey, followed by a pair of Madi Culbertson free throws, shaving the Warrensburg lead to four with 2:57 to play in the third quarter.
Warrensburg finally ended its offensive drought when Rhone drove the lane and dished to Courtney Willie for the lay-in. On the other end Sargent added to her assist total, finding Cox in the paint for the basket, as Nevada trailed 38-34.
The Lady Tigers momentum continued to build, with Carsten Warner coming up with a steal at half-court and finding Culbertson for the driving lay-in, making the score 38-36 with 1:25 to play in the third quarter.
After a Warrensburg timeout to slow Nevada's momentum, Rhone drained a three from the right-wing to increase the lead to five.
The game remained tight throughout most of the fourth quarter, with the Lady Tigers tying the score 48-48 with 3:29 to play, courtesy of two Sarah Creasy free throws.
Warrensburg pushed back in front after Maxlyn Wilbanks hit 1-of-2 free throws and then came up with a steal and went coast-to-coast for the score, handing Warrensburg a 51-48 edge with 1:52 remaining in regulation.
The teams then traded baskets with Warrensburg holding a 53-50 advantage. With 1:32 on the clock, a Jansen Miller three from straight-away rimmed out, and was plucked up by Sargent who converted the layup, as Nevada trailed 53-52.
After a pair of Rhone free throws at the other end with 45.1 seconds on the clock, extending the lead back to three ---- a Hold 3-point attempt was off-target. Rhone added two more free throws before the final buzzer, icing the game.
Allard said she was pleased that her sophomore combo, Sargent and Creasy, were able to provide the Lady Tigers with an added boost, combining for 11 points.
"The sophomores are stepping up," Allard said. "A lot of times I have Brooke running the point, so she's not looking to shoot first. And sometimes she needs to, because she is a good outside shooter.
"Sarah is more of a slasher. She needs to get comfortable and confident driving into the lane and putting pressure on the defense. And she's starting to do that."
Allard said she was pleased with her squad's defensive effort against Warrensburg.
"Our scoring opportunities are going to come a lot easier when we pick up our defense," she said. "All the girls did that tonight."
For the Lady Tigers, Culbertson finished with a team-high 13 points, Cox, 10; Payne, nine; Hold, eight; Creasy, six and Sargent five. Warrensburg's Rhone led all scorers with 21 points, while knocking down 11-of-13 from the charity stripe.
JV and freshman teams
The Lady Tigers junior varsity team topped Warrensburg 38-31. Sophomore Sammy Gundy led the way with 12 points, while freshman Kate Ream added 11.
The Lady Tigers freshman-team bested Warrensburg 17-15 in a two quarter game.