Lady Hawks' offense in high gear, thrash Beech

Rossview High had the same defensive intensity, Friday night, that it displayed for much of its District 10 championship loss to Henry County earlier in the week.

The only difference was Friday the Lady Hawks were able to get baskets in bunches. The Lady Hawks shot nearly 86 percent in the first half and rolled to a 65-38 victory Friday over Beech (15-15) in the Region 5-AAA quarterfinal at Hawks Gym.

Rossview (19-10) missed only four shots in the first half, led 21-2 after the opening quarter and 35-7 at halftime. Led by Karle Pace, Rossview dominated the game. Pace finished with 25 points as Rossview moves into the region semifinal game against sixth-ranked Wilson Central Monday at Lebanon High School.

Here are three keys for the Lady Hawks heading into that showdown.

No substitute for experience

Rossview coach Justin Woods leans heavy on his seniors, particularly players like Pace and Semajia Ogburn. They are holdovers from the Lady Hawks' state tournament run in 2014.

"They've been through the fire," Woods said. "They know what it's about. I don't have to give them a rah-rah speech. They know its tournament time and we want to keep playing. If you're not ready to play right now, I don't know why you play basketball."

With Pace's 25 Friday, Ogburn chipped in with six points and eight rebounds. Rossview had nine on the offensive end alone. But they'll face a Wilson Central team that thumped Kenwood 65-27 for its 10th straight win.

Familiarity breeds confidence

Rossview shouldn't be intimidated by Wilson Central. The two teams have already played this season. The Lady Wildcats won 36-21 in December, but that was an early-season game that both teams admittedly were not playing their best ball of the season.

Neither team could hit shots. Wilson Central has been particularly difficult to score against with a defense that's designed to test just how skilled your shooters are.

"They pack the paint and make you shoot the ball from the perimeter," Woods said. "They don't let you get the ball in the post, they don't let you drive it they really surround the paint and make you shoot jump shots. Last time, we weren't really ready for that."

Without Rippy, who continues to nurse an ankle injury and who Woods feels will likely be out next week as well, he'll have to count on Pace, Holly Sellers and Madison Ballance to stretch Wilson Central's defense Monday night.

Patience may serve a purpose

There may not be enough losses to develop a plan of how to attack Wilson Central but in the two losses the Lady Wildcats have suffered, they struggled to score. Wilson Central isn't necessarily a high-volume scoring team but it may benefit Rossview to play a more controlled game that forces the Lady Wildcats to spend time on the defense end.

Pace was able to get into the teeth of Beech's defense Friday night any time she wanted. That space and freedom will not be there Monday against Wilson Central but ball movement on Rossview's offensive end could pay off in the fourth quarter in a low-scoring affair.

"There's no secrets," Woods said about Monday's matchup. "They're going to do what they do and we'll do what we do and we'll see who comes out of it."

Reach Prep writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com or (931) 245-0747 and on Twitter @Cville_Sports. 

REGION TOURNAMENT SCORES/SCHEDULES

Region 5-A

Girls (Friday)

Forrest 50, Clarksville Academy 44

Boys (Saturday)

Community at Clarksville Academy, 7 p.m.

Region 6-AA

Girls (Friday)

Christ Presbyterian 39, Stewart County 23

Boys (Saturday)

Stewart County at CPA, 7 p.m.

Region 5-AAA

Girls (Friday)

Rossview 65, Beech 38

Clarksville High 47, Mt. Juliet 39

Wilson Central 65, Kenwood 27

Station Camp 73, Henry County 71

Boys (Saturday)

Kenwood at Lebanon, 7 p.m.

Mt. Juliet at Springfield, 7 p.m.

Beech at Northwest, 7 p.m.

Northeast at Station Camp, 7 p.m.