Lady Cats defeat Clarkrange 59-35

Back in November, Clarkrange legendary girls coach Lamar Rogers made a point after his Lady Buffaloes dropped a 52-43 decision to Livingston Academy, saying, “I’ll settle for two out of three.”

Coach Rogers was referring to two more dates with the Lady Wildcats in the upcoming season. Well after the next meeting in early December when the Lady Cats squeezed out a heart-stopping 59-58 win, the coach smiled and added, “Well, I’ll just have to settle for one out of two.”

That opportunity came last week when the Lady Cats squared off against the Lady Buffaloes for the third and final time on Tuesday night, after dropping an uninspiring 56-44 loss to then district-leading White County on Monday night in a make-up game following the recent snow.

Before that game, Coach Rogers commented that he always liked playing Livingston because they were good strong opponents, and he liked playing good teams.

He might want to give that thought a second look.

Playing one of their best games of the season Tuesday, the Lady Wildcats put Monday’s efforts behind them and trounced the visitors, and did it from opening tip-off to final buzzer.

Livingston won 59-35 and moved its record to 15-7. Clarkrange fell to 13-8.

“That’s the way we should have played last night,” junior Ellie Butler explained. “We took a deep look at ourselves after last night’s game and knew we were better, but had to go out and prove it. Tonight, we did.”

Chloe Jenkins put the Lady Cats on the board first with two free throws, then Butler found the range and hit a three, added a field goal, then another and another, and suddenly Livingston was on a roll and running away. A three-pointer at the buzzer by Butler left no doubt who was in charge. Livingston led 18-7 at the end of the quarter.

In the second frame, Keely Mullins, who had been the only bright spot in Monday’s loss, found the range and posted 8 points in the frame while Cora Copeland and Mallie Coleman each scored, adding 18 points to the lead. Clarkrange managed only 10.

“That’s the way we can play when we all play together,” Jenkins pointed out. “Tonight, we played extremely strong defense, and on offense, we chipped and helped Ellie (Butler) and took some of the defensive pressure off her. That was a fun game to play.”

“Actually, I think we were just more ready tonight,” Emma Poston pointed out. “Monday, I don’t know, we have been out of school for the snow, didn’t get to practice much, and we apparently weren’t ready to play. Tonight we were.”

Ten Lady Cats scored, led by Butler with 22. Mullins posted 12, Jenkins had 6, Poston and Copeland 4 each, McKenzie King 3, and Adriana Romines, Jaicie Garrett, Coleman, and Myla Dailey all had 2.

Mullins and Butler each pulled down 6 missed shots, with Jenkins close behind with 5. Coleman, directing the action from her point guard slot, had 4 assists along with Mallie Carwile, and Carwile was the top thief with 4 steals.

On Monday night, White County came to LA with a strong and very big team and simply outhustled the Lady Cats in a 12-point win.

After the Lady Warriors raced out to a 19-7 first quarter lead, the Lady Cats came around in the second quarter, mainly on the hot shooting of Mullins, and closed the gap to a single point at intermission, 29-28. In the third frame, Mullins had 16 of Livingston’s 21 points.

Jenkins and Butler kept the Lady Cats in the game most of the third period, but a six-point burst by the visitors simply put the game out of reach. Free throws in the final quarter by White County accounted for the margin of victory.

Mullins led the LA scoring with 20 while Butler managed 14. Jenkins had 5, Carwile had 3, and Coleman added 2. Jenkins led in rebounds with 6, and along with Poston, had a pair of steals. Coleman led in assists with 4.

On Friday night, Livingston continued playing at home, hosting Cumberland County, a team the Lady Cats eased out a one point, 53-52, win two weeks back.

This time it was much the same, at least for three quarters, but in the third frame, the Lady Jets used the three-point ball to pull away 44-38 heading to the final 8 minutes, then held on for a close 56-52 win.

Butler scored LA’s first three points, and Mallie Carwile found her long-range shot to push the Lady Cats to a 15-11 first quarter lead. Four points from Myla Dailey in the second quarter gave the home team a slim 25-23 margin at intermission.

“A very weak defensive effort and critical mistakes at the end just killed us,” LA Head Coach Lesley Riddle observed.

Butler had 19 points to lead LA, and Mullins added 14. Carwile hit three 3-pointers for 9 points. Dailey added 4, and Mallie Coleman hit for 2.

The loss left LA with a 2-3 district record and a 15-8 overall mark.