Lady Bears back in action
0Written by Lance Tackett
The UPIKE Lady Bears got a big win against Kentucky Christian University on Tuesday, Jan. 6 with a final score of 66-48. Thursday, Jan. 8, the Bears took on the ninth-ranked Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders and lost 69-55. Coach Williams had some things to say after Thursday night’s loss.
“We have to be prepared to play four quarters,” Williams said.
That mentality is something Coach Williams wants to drive through to his team as they are about to go on a two-game road trip, going up against Cumberland University and Georgetown College.
After mentioning the first half struggles in that game, Williams said, “We won the second half of this game.”
The win Tuesday against KCU was a big one for the Lady Bears since the six-game losing streak they went through earlier in the year made every game a must win situation if they want to make some noise and make it into the national tournament. The upperclassmen carried the load offensively for the Lady Bears. Jamie Castle, senior; Adison Corder, junior; and Aundrea Matchen, senior, all scored in double digits. They also shot at least 50 percent from the field. Castle and Corder contributed heavily on the defensive end as well with both adding two steals to the box score.
Thursday was a tale of two halves for the Lady Bears, as the first half dictated the outcome of the game. In the first half, they shot 21 percent from the field and 20 percent from the three-point line. Those numbers flip-flopped in the second half as the Lady Bears shot 48 percent from the field and 62 percent from the three-point line. The defense held the Blue Raiders to shooting only 47 percent for the game and forced them to turn it over 10 times. The leading scorer for the Bears in this game was Matchen scoring 16 of the team’s 55.
Saturday, Feb. 10 the team traveled to Cumberland University for a crucial Mid-South Conference matchup to try and get back to a .500 record as they were sitting at 12-13. The Lady Bears struggled on offense again in this game shooting only 29 percent from the field. This was the root of the loss for the Bears as they only scored 37 points.The next game for the Lady Bears is Thursday, Feb. 15 at Georgetown. This game is one that will, hopefully, give the team momentum going into the MSC Tournament at the Eastern Kentucky Expo Center. A championship in that tournament should give this team a good chance of making the NAIA National Tournament.