Lady Cougars battle Riverside and BIC

Lady Cougar Stephanie DeMent (11) and Allison Duncan trap the Riverside ballhandler during conference play Friday night in Lake City. [Click to enlarge]

Rector's senior girls couldn't quite overcome a woeful start and fell 47-44 to Riverside in conference basketball action Friday night at Lake City.

Rector fell behind 8-5 in the early going but got closer on a three-pointer by Rebecca Dodd. After that it was all Riverside for a telling stretch in the first half.

After the Dodd shot, the Lady Rebels outscored their visitors 12-2 to roll to a commanding 20-7 lead after one period.

The hosts stretched the margin to 15 early in the second period before an active pressing defense by the Lady Cougars began to pay off.

Rector scored the final seven points of the second quarter on a three-pointer, a field goal and two free throws, all by Chelsea Drope, to close the gap to 29-21 heading into the break.

The Lady Cougars continued their strong play after intermission, eventually tying the game, 32-32, on a pair of free throws by Rhoda Classen with 2:36 showing in the third frame. Riverside rallied to take the lead 36-34 going into the final period.

A basket by Riverside's Lauren Weaver gave her team a five-point lead and Rector could never get closer than three the rest of the way, despite having numerous opportunities.

"We just didn't match their intensity in the first quarter," coach Mark Manchester said. "And we were not getting out on their shooters.

"We did a great job getting back in the game and we competed hard," the coach added. "We got some tough breaks in the fourth quarter and just couldn't overcome them."

Manchester noted his team has lost several close games this season. "We have just got to find a way to finish," he said. "If we can just get one late win, I think you will see us start to turn the corner."

Drope had an outstanding game for the Lady Cougars, leading all scorers with 23. Also scoring for Rector were Classen 6, Allison Duncan 6, Stephanie Dement 4, Dodd 3 and Jessie Scott 2. Weaver had 19 points to lead Riverside and Meagan Goza added 11.

Rector went 8-11 at the free throw line while the Lady Rebels were 10-21.

Double Overtime Win

Rector's junior girls posted an exciting double overtime win over Riverside, 36-27.

Rector led 8-4 after one period and 13-12 at intermission. The game was tied 18-18 after three, 22-22 after four and 24-24 following the first overtime. Key free throw shooting, 7-8 in the second extra frame, led Rector to the victory.

Kelly Fowler led Rector with 13. Also scoring were Vanessa Jones 5, Kristen Smart 5, Anna Blackshare 4, Bailey Haney 4, Kaitlyn Essman 3 and Courtney Shepard 2. Wilson, Buckell and Miller had seven each for the Junior Rebels.

Rector went 9-15 at the charity stripe and Riverside was 13-22.

"Our junior girls had four quarters and one overtime before we started playing with some energy," the coach said. "I am really proud of the way they played in the second overtime. We got the lead and hit some big free throws at the end.

"It's good to win one on the road when it could have gone either way. We are getting better."

Loss to BIC

The Lady Cougars came up just short in conference action against Buffalo Island Central Monday night in Monette, falling 52-49. The game was a back-and-forth struggle all night long, as neither team was able to claim the distinct advantage. Rector led 15-13 after the first quarter, but trailed 25-24 at intermission and 40-36 through three frames.

The Lady Cougars had opportunities to take control over the game, but struggled at the free throw line. Rector made just 12 of 27 attempts at the charity stripe, finishing the game shooting 39 percent from the line.

"We've worked on our free throws in practice and we've done a better job making them in practice," Manchester said. "We've got to keep working on free throws and get to where we can be consistent from the line. Four more free throws and we win the ballgame. It's as simple as that."

Duncan led Rector with a game-high 18 points. Also scoring for the Lady Cougars were Drope 8, DeMent 7, Classen 4, Destinei Heathcott 4, Dodd 3, Scott 2, Casey Hollis 2 and Kelsey Wynn 1.

Junior Girls Fall

The Junior Lady Cougars came out on the short end of a 39-24 loss to BIC. Rector led 10-6 after the first frame before falling behind 18-16 at intermission. The third quarter made the difference, as the Junior Lady Cougars managed just one point in the frame, trailing 29-17 heading into the fourth.

Fowler paced Rector with 10 points in the loss. Also scoring were Essman 4, Jones 3, Blackshare 2, Lenae Haley 2, Ashley Arnold 2 and Shepard 1.

The Rector girls are scheduled to host Cross County on Friday before traveling on Tuesday of next week to Marked Tree.