Lady Cougars post two routs as NEA Tournament nears

The Lady Cougars were able to hit from both the inside and the outside on their way to rolling over the Marked Tree Lady Indians, 69-39, on Friday.

Rector buried nine three-pointers in the game, while also routinely attacking the basket in a balanced attack.

The first quarter was nip and tuck, as the two teams battled for the advantage. The Lady Cougars held a slight 10-9 lead after the opening frame.

The second quarter began with a 7-0 Rector run. Chelsea Drope and Stephanie DeMent both nailed three-pointers, while Allison Duncan buried one of two from the line in the pivotal run.

Leading 29-18 at intermission, the Lady Cougars began the third quarter with guns blazing, as DeMent connected on two more from deep, while Drope and Rebecca Dodd also connected from beyond the arc. Rhoda Classen drove the lane for a tough layup to round out the drive.

Rector led 50-31 going into the fourth.

"We got out to a slow start, but we stuck with it and were able to play our game," Lady Cougar coach Mark Manchester said. "That's what you want to see. I think we're improving every night. We're working hard to be ready for that after holiday schedule."

Drope finished with a game-high 18 points to lead Rector. Jessie Scott notched 10 in the win.

Also scoring for the Lady Cougars were DeMent 9, Duncan 9, Kelsey Wynn 4, Classen 4, Amanda Bradford 3, Dodd 3, Casey Hollis 2 and Emily Cornelison 2.

Emilee Timbs led Marked Tree with 11 points.

Wins over Cross County

The Lady Cougars came away with a 67-12 win over Cross County in Cherry Valley last Tuesday.

Rector led throughout the one-sided meeting: 21-5; 44-7 and 56-9.

Drope led the way with 19 points in the win.

Also scoring were Scott 9, Hollis 7, Classen 6, Duncan 6, Cornelison 5, Wynn 5, Bradford 5, Dodd 3, Destinei Heathcott 2 and Cheyanne Steward 2.

The Junior Lady Cougars also ran away with the win in their meeting, coming out ahead 48-5.

Rector never trailed in the contest leading: 19-2; 27-3 and 38-3 after each break, respectively.

"We came out with some firs in junior high and never looked back," Manchester said. "These girls are still in the process of learning the game, but they're a great bunch of kids who are willing to work hard to achieve. I think they're going to be a lot of fun to watch."

Kelly Fowler and Anna Blackshare finished with eight points each to lead the Junior Lady Cougars.

Also scoring were Bailey Haney 7, Shana White 4, Cheyenne Ellis 4, Johnna Lopez 4, Vanessa Jones 3, Rebecca Scott 2, Kaitlyn Essman 2, Lenae Haley 2 and Lindsey Ford 2.

The Lady Cougars slated to host EPC Tuesday night. The girls will also be in action beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, as they host Turrell on a night which also features the boys' teams.

The Senior Lady Cougars are set to face Marked Tree again in the opening round of the NEA Tournament beginning at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21.