Lady Warriors struggle early, fall in championship contest

By JASON VIOX/Daily Journal Sports Writer

PERRYVILLE - The Valle Lady Warriors have had an amazing basketball season which came to an end on Saturday in the championship game of the class 2, district 3 tournament. The No. 2 seed Valle was up against the No. 1 seed Metro Lady Panthers.

The Lady Warriors trailed early in the game and Metro used that momentum throughout the contest. The Lady Panthers crushed Valle 60-34.

The Lady Warriors failed to score on their first six possessions of the game, and Metro scored the first eight points of the game. Valle's Kara Schilli knocked down a free throw, but the Lady Panthers made six more points for a 14-1 game.

Angie Herzog broke up the run with a three-pointer. Metro was out in front by the score of 14-7 after the first quarter.

Dekeisha Mathis drained a three for the Lady Panthers at the start of the second quarter. Valle constantly tried to narrow the gap, but Metro went on a 10-3 scoring run for a 29-14 game. Herzog sank a free throw while Lauren Witherspoon made a putback for the Lady Panthers before the end of the half. Metro led 31-15 at half-time.

The Lady Panthers scored the first four points of the second half while Valle countered with five before Metro's next big drive. The Lady Panthers went on a dominating 12-1 scoring spree for a 47-21 lead. The third quarter came to a close as Metro was way out in front by the score of 49-25.

A jump shot by Herzog barely put a dent in Metro's lead. The Lady Panthers were not worried as they added points to their sizable lead. Metro went on an 11-3 scoring drive for a 60-30 lead as the clock ran nonstop. Valle 's Crystal Tucker and Sara Hermann both knocked down a pair of free throws before the end of the game.

"We might not have won as many games as some of the other teams in state, but there's not a coach in the state of Missouri who had more fun than I did this year," stated Valle's head coach Judd Naeger on this basketball season.

The Lady Warriors finish their season with an outstanding record of 24-4.

Metro - 14 17 18 11 - 60

Valle - 7 8 10 9 - 34

SCORING:

Metro - D Dace 17, L Livingston 10, R Robinson 9, L Witherspoon 8, B Dodson 7, D Loveless 4, D Mathis 3, K Kibble 2

3-Pointers - D Mathis 1

Valle - A Herzog 8, S Hermann 8, C Tucker 7, K Schilli 6, K Bergtholdt 3, D Donze 2

3-Pointers - C Tucker 1, A Herzog 1