Lady Spartans place third in tourney
BY RYAN LEGER
RLEGER@HENDERSONDISPATCH.COM; 252-436-2840
The Lady Spartans (5-6) hosted Franklin Academy (7-3) in the first round of the KVA Holiday Invitational tournament Friday evening, losing 43-35 to the Patriots after getting off to an extremely slow start.
Points were certainly at a premium in the first quarter as both teams failed to score double-digit points, with Franklin Academy taking a 7-3 lead after the first eight minutes of action. Both offenses continued to struggle in the second quarter and the Spartans eventually entered the locker room facing a 14-9 deficit at halftime.
During the break, Spartans’ head coach Sandy Ross urged her players to be more aggressive on offense and not pass up open shots.
“In the first half, a lot of them weren’t even looking at the basket to shoot. They’d miss one shot and lose their confidence,” Ross said. “We need to maintain confidence and take our shots when we get them. We calmed down a little towards the end and were making some shots, but we were just off in the first half and that hurt us in the end.”
Kerr-Vance began to heat up in the third quarter, which was a huge boost in confidence for the Spartans’ players. The Patriots continued to knock down shots as well, however, outscoring Kerr-Vance 13-11 in the third quarter to extend their advantage to 27-20 heading into the final eight minutes of action.
The Spartans’ offense truly found its rhythm in the fourth quarter, with Bonnie Evans and Kennedy Adcock
leading the way. Evans scored six of her 11 points in the fourth, while Adcock recorded eight of her 19 points down the stretch. Adcock knocked down five jumpers from beyond the three-point arc on the night.
“We need to do that from the beginning,” Ross said. “It’s the nerves. We still haven’t figured out how to play four quarters instead of one, it’s just a mind thing. We see the size of some of the teams and it’s just intimidating. We’re quick and can hang with big teams, but just need to use our speed to our advantage.”
Kerr-Vance cut Franklin Academy’s lead to 30-26 with just under six minutes left in regulation, but that was the closest they would get. The Patriots went on an 11-0 run over the next four minutes to extend their advantage to 15 points with just 1:49 remaining on the clock. Carlie Clift led the Patriots with 13 points, while Dara McCluskey (11 pts) and Emma Bailey (9 pts) also performed well Friday night.
After losing to Franklin Academy Friday evening, the Spartans (5-6) responded well by defeating Pope John Paul II 54-44 in the consolation match of the KVA Holiday Invitational tournament Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans started off the contest strong, something they have struggled with this season, taking a 15-9 lead into the second quarter. Kerr-Vance played extremely strong on the defensive end, limiting the Lady Saints’ chances offensively.
The Spartans’ stifling defense continued as Kerr-Vance held the Saints to just six points in the second quarter, heading into the locker room with a comfortable 25-15 advantage at the half.
Pope John Paul II came back strong after the break, holding the Spartans to eight points as they trimmed their deficit to 33-27 by the end of the third quarter. The Saints continued their strong play in the fourth, actually claiming a 41-40 lead at one point, before Kerr-Vance went on a 10-0 run to take a 50-41 lead and put the contest out of reach.
“We played with a lot of heart,” Ross said. “We really came out with energy and hustled. When they took the brief lead late in the game, our ladies really responded well.”
Kennedy Adcock (2 reb, 2 stl) and Bonnie Evans (10 stl, 2 ast, 2 reb) led the Spartans with 18 points each Saturday as both were selected to the all-tournament team. Becca Johnson (8 pts, 8 reb), Lorena Negron (3 pts, 4 reb, 2 stl), Ashley Dickerson (3 pts, 6 reb, 2 stl), Kayla Lyles (2 pts, 4 reb, 2 blk) and Emma Hogge (2 pts) rounded out the scoring for Kerr- Vance.
The Spartans will take a break for the holidays before traveling to face Grace of Sanford Tuesday, Jan. 3
BY RYAN LEGER
RLEGER@HENDERSONDISPATCH.COM; 252-436-2840
The Lady Spartans (5-6) hosted Franklin Academy (7-3) in the first round of the KVA Holiday Invitational tournament Friday evening, losing 43-35 to the Patriots after getting off to an extremely slow start.
Points were certainly at a premium in the first quarter as both teams failed to score double-digit points, with Franklin Academy taking a 7-3 lead after the first eight minutes of action. Both offenses continued to struggle in the second quarter and the Spartans eventually entered the locker room facing a 14-9 deficit at halftime.
During the break, Spartans’ head coach Sandy Ross urged her players to be more aggressive on offense and not pass up open shots.
“In the first half, a lot of them weren’t even looking at the basket to shoot. They’d miss one shot and lose their confidence,” Ross said. “We need to maintain confidence and take our shots when we get them. We calmed down a little towards the end and were making some shots, but we were just off in the first half and that hurt us in the end.”
Kerr-Vance began to heat up in the third quarter, which was a huge boost in confidence for the Spartans’ players. The Patriots continued to knock down shots as well, however, outscoring Kerr-Vance 13-11 in the third quarter to extend their advantage to 27-20 heading into the final eight minutes of action.
The Spartans’ offense truly found its rhythm in the fourth quarter, with Bonnie Evans and Kennedy Adcock
leading the way. Evans scored six of her 11 points in the fourth, while Adcock recorded eight of her 19 points down the stretch. Adcock knocked down five jumpers from beyond the three-point arc on the night.
“We need to do that from the beginning,” Ross said. “It’s the nerves. We still haven’t figured out how to play four quarters instead of one, it’s just a mind thing. We see the size of some of the teams and it’s just intimidating. We’re quick and can hang with big teams, but just need to use our speed to our advantage.”
Kerr-Vance cut Franklin Academy’s lead to 30-26 with just under six minutes left in regulation, but that was the closest they would get. The Patriots went on an 11-0 run over the next four minutes to extend their advantage to 15 points with just 1:49 remaining on the clock. Carlie Clift led the Patriots with 13 points, while Dara McCluskey (11 pts) and Emma Bailey (9 pts) also performed well Friday night.
After losing to Franklin Academy Friday evening, the Spartans (5-6) responded well by defeating Pope John Paul II 54-44 in the consolation match of the KVA Holiday Invitational tournament Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans started off the contest strong, something they have struggled with this season, taking a 15-9 lead into the second quarter. Kerr-Vance played extremely strong on the defensive end, limiting the Lady Saints’ chances offensively.
The Spartans’ stifling defense continued as Kerr-Vance held the Saints to just six points in the second quarter, heading into the locker room with a comfortable 25-15 advantage at the half.
Pope John Paul II came back strong after the break, holding the Spartans to eight points as they trimmed their deficit to 33-27 by the end of the third quarter. The Saints continued their strong play in the fourth, actually claiming a 41-40 lead at one point, before Kerr-Vance went on a 10-0 run to take a 50-41 lead and put the contest out of reach.
“We played with a lot of heart,” Ross said. “We really came out with energy and hustled. When they took the brief lead late in the game, our ladies really responded well.”
Kennedy Adcock (2 reb, 2 stl) and Bonnie Evans (10 stl, 2 ast, 2 reb) led the Spartans with 18 points each Saturday as both were selected to the all-tournament team. Becca Johnson (8 pts, 8 reb), Lorena Negron (3 pts, 4 reb, 2 stl), Ashley Dickerson (3 pts, 6 reb, 2 stl), Kayla Lyles (2 pts, 4 reb, 2 blk) and Emma Hogge (2 pts) rounded out the scoring for Kerr- Vance.
The Spartans will take a break for the holidays before traveling to face Grace of Sanford Tuesday, Jan. 3
