Strong team effort spells victory for Lady Rebels

By MATT KING\Daily Journal Sports Writer

PARK HILLS - Playing their second game without injured leading scorer Jessica Moyer on Monday, the Central Lady Rebels needed several other players to elevate their level of play.

Central forced 27 turnovers defensively and received balanced team scoring for a 55-43 home win over the St. Elizabeth Academy Lady Hawks.

The Lady Rebels (4-12) immediately attacked inside for some early baskets, drawing a quick series of fouls in the process. Lindsey Harris and Kristina Holloway scored on back-to-back possessions to spark a 9-2 scoring run while the Central defense disrupted the Lady Hawks.

"We have really been working on our man-to-man defense over the past few days," said Central coach Craig Allen. "We did a good job of helping each other out on defense and stopping the ball."

St. Elizabeth (5-8) looked to senior Amanda Trimble as a top scoring option throughout the first half. Trimble tallied a game-high 14 points and hit two key three-pointers to bring the Lady Hawks to within 14-12 at the end of the first quarter.

The Lady Rebels struggled to score in the second quarter with a triple by Katie Hammers accounting for their lone field goal. Freshman Tori Priess scored with an offensive putback in the final seconds of the period to give St. Elizabeth a 22-21 lead at halftime.

Central regained its scoring touch in the third quarter while continuing to contest nearly every shot from the Lady Hawks. Tausha Petty connected on a three-pointer and a long-range two to give the Lady Rebels a 29-27 edge mid-way through the stanza.

Chelsea Pinson stole a pass directly under the Lady Hawks' basket and converted a layup to increase the lead to six. Petty closed the quarter by dribbling the length of the court and finding Jessica Lawson open for a transition layup as the Lady Rebels moved ahead 37-29.

St. Elizabeth pulled to within seven points on four separate occasions in the fourth quarter, but Central was able to answer each time with scoring plays. A three-point play by Jayme Schrempf trimmed the difference to 43-36, but Harris responded with an offensive putback.

Schrempf, who scored 13 total points, came back with two free throws for St. Elizabeth, but Central's Allison Douglas scored inside with 1:46 left to again deny the comeback bid.

Petty, Holloway and Douglas each had perfect trips to the charity stripe during the final 1:03 to seal the win.

Strong free-throw shooting and timely contributions from the bench both factored heavily in the Lady Rebels' ability to take command of the contest. Central made 16-23 free throws and held a decisive 15-0 margin in bench scoring.

"We don't really have a go to girl right now, so a lot of players have to contribute," added Allen, "and our younger girls keep on getting better."

Douglas posted a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds to lead Central. Eight of her rebounds came in the fourth quarter alone. Petty and Harris added nine points each.

The Lady Rebels will face a much tougher test on Thursday when they host Fredericktown in conference action.

St. Elizabeth - 12 10 7 14 - 43

Central - 14 7 16 18 - 55

SCORING:

St. Elizabeth - A Trimble 14, J Schrempf 13, M Fields 6, T Priess 6, D Sandusky 4.

3-pointers - A Trimble 2.

Central - A Douglas 10, T Petty 9, L Harris 9, K Hammers 7, K Holloway 7, J Lawson 6, C Pinson 5, K Gunder 2.

3-pointers - T Petty 1, C Pinson 1, K Hammers 1.