Lady Terriers Top Cottage 45 – 17
Dateline, Roswell, Ga. The Lady Cougars played their final home game of 2021 as they played hostess to Lyndon Academy. The Lady Terriers, standout performers in the GHCC league, clashed with Cottage for the fifth straight season in the latest installment of this budding rivalry.
Lyndon set the tone early, generating three early turnovers that quickly translated into 6 points. An aggressive press continued to force the issue, allowing the visitors to roll up a 2 first quarter lead. Having weathered the initial flurry of haymakers, Cottage shook off the cobwebs and approached the second frame with much more poise and purpose. Alyssa Briggs scored twice, Celeste Jeoffroy lofted a mid ranger, and Ana Mills knocked down a thee ball as TCS outscored the visitors 9 – 6 over the second eight minutes of gametime.
The halftime break allowed the Terriers to regain some of their early offensive groove. They spotted up 10 third quarter points, and added 7 more in the last quarter to account for their 45 points. The second half witnessed tantalizing flashes of superior TCS play. Although they only recorded 8 second half points, the Lady Cougars had a number of possessions where they adroitly swung the ball from strong side toe weakside, and inside and out to gain some sound looks at the hoop.
The tune up against this formidable opponent will gear the ladies up for their two road conference games against MSA and Howard in contest fraught with playoff implications.
GAME NOTES
On a night where relentless pressure and transition basketball took a toll on the starters, the Cougar Youth (Hannah Katz, Finely Love and Julia McCauley) provided key reprieves for the staters. Each player logged floor time in each of the quarters. Katz slid between post play and backcourt duties, weighing in with a rebound, a deflection, and stand up defense that forces a travel. Likewise, Love nabbed a board of her own to go along with 2 steals, and one nifty assist. McCauley impacted the contes most with her steady presence underneath the glass as evidenced by her 6 rebounds (2 offensive). McCauley also recorded a steal and 2 assists.
The front court duo of senior Anika Helm and junior Celeste Jeoffroy ( a.k.a. Thumper and Bumper) found themselves hamstrung by injuries sustained during the contest, but still willed their way to meaningful contributions. Helm attacked the boards for 4 rebounds (1 offensive), one of her patented blocked shots, and a steal. Jeoffroy matched her comrade with 4 ‘bounds of her own, while also connecting on a second quarter jumper. Two assists and 3 steals rounded out Jeoffroy’s stat line.
The triumvirate of Lilian Travis, Ana Mills and Alyssa Briggs held down the guard positions. Travis gained a pretty open court steal, while ricocheting her way to a rebound. Mills channeled 2021 graduate Alex Nebel as she splashed home two three point bombs, accounting for her 6 points. Mills claimed 6 rebounds (1 offensive), poked a ball away for steal, and hosted a block party of her own with consecutive stuffs that emphatically ended a Lyndon foray. Briggs led her team in points with 9, and in rebounding with 9 (3 offensive). To round out the effort, the sophomore also threw back a shot, gained 5 steals, and passed for 4 assists.
