“Hart”beat Keeps Winning Rhythm
CAL 49 Mercy 47
Anna Hart’s layup with four seconds left lifted CAL’s 11th-ranked Lady Centurions over Mercy’s 4th-ranked Jaguars, triggering the first of three wins in the past week. As expected, it was an emotionally and physically charged contest from the opening tip. Mercy coach Mark Evans rotated his players freely to avoid foul trouble while hoping to create it for CAL.
What he may not have accounted for was the play of Hart. Hitting an early three-pointer, her offensive production helped CAL to a 16-10 advantagein the first quarter. By halftime, she led all scorers with 10 points, but Mercy drove the lane repeatedly in the second quarter and cut the deficit to two points at halftime.
First-half trends continued in the second. Seven ties and eight lead changes indicated this game would not be decided until the final possession. When Allison Karst fouled out and China Dow was momentarily rattled after being knocked to the floor, it appeared the Lady Centurions upset bid might wilt under the Jaguars prowling defense. Mercy’s Ellen Sholtes tied the score with about 20 seconds left and CAL had no time-outs remaining. Dow displayed remarkable patience before making her move, driving into the paint, and then dishing the ball to Hart in stride for the lay-in. Mercy managed a last-second shot, but it was off the mark.
Sideline notes
This was a huge win for the Lady Centurions, a 7th region road victory over a highly ranked opponent and rival in a vocal atmosphere. Anna Hart’s outstanding double-double effort was essential in preventing the Mercy defense from focusing primarily on Antonita Slaughter and Allison Karst. Although CAL’s bench production was limited to three points on a Paige Gardner basket, she and Madison Duff made key rebounds at critical junctures and the team’s defensive effort limited Mercy to about 30 percent shooting. Mercy will certainly be looking forward to a rematch. Their bench scored 30 (well over half) of their points, so their depth is impressive, a trait they used to defeat highly ranked Manual a few nights later.
Game scoring by quarter
CAL 16 9 10 14 49
Mercy 10 13 13 11 47
Player statistics: Anna Hart (18 points, 10 rebounds), Antonita Slaughter (10 points), China Dow (10 points), Allison Karst (4 points), Emily Walden (4 points), Paige Gardner (3 points)
CAL 64 Presentation 42
The Lady Centurions sped to a 20-3 first quarter advantage, led by as many as 34 points, and went into cruise control mode for the remainder, winning 64-42. The team’s defensive effort resulted in 13 steals, leading to transition baskets in spite of Presentation’s attempts to slow the pace. CAL placed nine players in the scoring column, including high scorer China Dow with 17, complemented by Antonita Slaughter's 14 points and Allison Karst with 13 points. CAL’s bench contributed 13 points. Toppers‟ guard Sarah Davis hit from outside and drove inside for 14 points, ably supported by fellow guard Bailey Reeder's 12 points.
For CAL, this game was a welcome opportunity to play everyone against a respectable opponent. For Presentation, it was a short-term loss with a promising long-term future: a young but talented team, a positive attitude, and a nice new gym.
Game scoring by quarter
CAL 20 16 23 5 64
Presentation 3 12 13 14 42
Player statistics: China Dow (17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks), Antonita Slaughter (14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals), Allison Karst (13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals), Casey Marshall (5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal), Anna Hart (4 points, 6 rebounds), Emily Walden (3 points), Paige Gardner (3 points), Abbie Erickson (3 points), Kate Joss (2 points)
CAL 59 Lexington Catholic 56
The Lady Centurions played for the fifth time this season in a familiar environment, the home of Lexington Catholic’s Lady Knights. Having defeated the 20th-ranked Lady Knights a few weeks ago in the Republic Bank Holiday Classic, CAL anticipated another hard-fought battle and the game lived up to such expectations. Somewhat reminiscent of the previous encounter, the Lady Centurions‟ surged to a halftime lead with the help of Allison Karst’s 16 points, but the Lady Knights were never out of contention, trailing by six.
Even when CAL extended the lead to 12 points in the second half, an unexpected turn appeared to tilt the game in Lexington Catholic’s favor. Anna Hart suffered a knee injury and was unable to return to action. The Lady Knights worked the ball inside to center Cassie Williams to reduce the deficit. CAL answered with Antonita Slaughter’s inside-outside game and Emily Walden darting to hit open shots from short range. However, the Lady Knights weren’t finished. Midway through the fourth quarter, guard Octavia Wilson created a quick four-point turnaround by hitting a free throw, causing a turnover, and knocking down a 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game. Again, the Lady Centurions looked to Allison Karst to come through in the clutch and she sank 4 of 4 in the final minute to close the contest.
Sideline note:
The severity of the injury to Anna Hart is undetermined, but the prayers of her teammates were in evidence at the game and afterward. Her on-court, all-out effort will be missed for the length of her recovery, but hopefully the team will still display the “heart” to win.
Game scoring by quarter
CAL 12 19 15 13 59
Lex. Catholic 10 15 15 16 56
Player statistics: Allison Karst (28 points, including 14/18 FT, 4 rebounds, 3 steals), Antonita Slaughter (14 points), China Dow (8 points), Emily Walden (5 points), Anna Hart (4 points, 6 rebounds)
Note: Rankings represent current LIT ratings published by the Courier-Journal.
