Lady Cougars ready for regional tourney

The Lady Cougars fell short in their bid for the 2A-3 District crown last Thursday, falling to eventual champion East Poinsett County, 57-33. Despite the loss, Rector had previously qualified for the regional tournament taking place this week at Newark.

The two teams got off to a slow start; with EPC taking a 7-5 lead into the second frame. While things remained at a similar pace for the Lady Cougars, the number one seeded Lady Warriors began to find their rhythm, moving ahead 22-11 at intermission. From there, things got worse for Rector, who trailed 44-20 through three quarters.

Hillary Calhoun scored 14 points to lead the Lady Cougars. Also scoring for Rector were Stephanie DeMent 6, Rhoda Classen 4, Crissy Crawford 4, Rebecca Dodd 3 and Destinei Heathcott 2.

EPC was led by Jordan Madden's 15. Becca Ross added 13 points. Madden was named Most Valuable Player for the tournament.

The Lady Cougars will be in action at 7 p.m. Thursday at Newark as they face host Cedar Ridge in the Class 2A North Regional Tournament.

"We're looking to go out there and play hard to keep our season going and keep playing basketball," Lady Cougar head coach Mark Manchester said. "A win in the regional tournament gets you to state. We're not ready to quit playing just yet."

Seniors Hillary Calhoun and Sarah Hester were members of the Lady Cougar team that made it to the second round of the state tournament two years ago.

Rector has likely already faced their most difficult opposition of the year, as EPC is favored by many in the state bracket.

Still, just one win away from another shot at the high school equivalent of "the big dance," Manchester, assistant coach Matt Mills and their Lady Cougars are not taking anything for granted.

"We're going to go out there and leave it all on the court," Mills said. "If we go out there and play like we're capable, I think we've got a pretty good chance of winning some games and keeping our season alive."