Lady Terriers top Lady Cougars
Dateline – Woodstock, Ga. In Friday afternoon basketball action, the Lady Cougars took to the road to face Lyndon Academy. The supremely talented and experienced Terriers compete in Division II of the Georgia Independent Christian Athletic Association, where they emerged from the first half of the season with a 60% winning percentage. While the Lady Cougars realized that their opponent entered the contest with a variety of weapons, they approached the challenge with the determination to execute against the best.
The Lady Terriers jumped out of the gate with an aggressive full court press which forced a flurry of early turnovers, quickly inflating the lead to double digits. When the Lady Cougars succeeded in advancing the ball past half court, they generally succeeded in getting the ball to the high post. In one of those sequences, Brandy Michelle Finnell connected on a banker, while surrounded by a host of defenders. In the second quarter of play, Julia Baumohl found herself in a similar circumstance, and forced a Terrier to make contact as the shot went up. Baumohl converted on one of the two free throws to account for the rest of Cottage’s points for the half.
After the half, the Lady Cougars redoubled their efforts to ball hawk on the perimeter. The strategy paid some dividends as the pressure did generate turnovers, but speedy Lyndon players often managed to short circuit the putative Cottage fast breaks. While not always feeding the offense with a volume of fast break opportunities, the pressure did significantly slow down the home team’s offensive fireworks, as the Terriers put up 14 second half points, as opposed to the 37 they rang up over the first sixteen minutes.
The Lady Cougars return to the friendly confines of the Cougar Center next Wednesday as they play host to Johnson Ferry.
GAME NOTES
Brandy Michelle Finnell and Julia Baumohl took on starting frontcourt responsibilities, while Tracy Li and Emily Dougherty provided the relief. Brandy Michelle Finnell led her team with 8 rebounds (including 2 from the offensive glass), and two points. Julia Baumohl came up with 1 point, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocked shots. Daugherty gained a steal and blocked a shot. Li put up a most eclectic stat line, as she grabbed 2 boards, blocked a shot, and gained a career high 3 steals, while also participating in a spectacular scrum to gain a loose ball on the hardwoods.
Analin Merchant, Maxine Moore, Hannah Katz, and Finley Love all rotated into the game to spell the backcourt. Moore squeezed off a pretty mid-range, first half jumper, that nearly rattled home. Love came up with a steal and a defensive rebound. Merchant ran the floor well, while Katz clocked in for her longest period of playing time to date.
Alex Nebel, Natalie Yager, and Maria Knezek provided the starting guard play for the night. Nebel hauled down 2 rebounds. Yager chased down 2 boards, forced 5 steals, blocked a shot, and also scored a point, after an errant Terrier hand slapped her arm, while squeezing off a short range jumper. Knezek claimed 9 steals and scored on a late game breakaway layup.
