Jaw Dropping Action for Lady Centurions
Lady Centurions “Shoot for the Cure”
CAL 58 North Hardin 50
(1/9/10) After suffering a surprisingly poor performance against Lexington Christian Academy earlier in the week, CAL’s Lady Centurions (10-3) recovered quickly to defeat a tenacious North Hardin team in the “Shoot for the Cure” charity event at the University of Louisville on Saturday, January 9th.
CAL jumped out to a 6-0 lead as the senior trio of Anna Hart, Antonita Slaughter, and Allison Karst each contributed a bucket. North Hardin responded with the athletic inside-out combination of Destiny Bramblett and shooting guards Brianna Woodson and Lexi Taft, but the Lady Centurions withstood the charge. An extra pass on offense often found an open shot for Slaughter and Karst who each hit three 3-pointers in the first half, allowing CAL to regain and maintain a 5-point lead at halftime.
In the second half, Coach Rice continued to rotate early and often with 12 players receiving significant on-court time. North Hardin tried to slow the Lady Centurions by doubling on Slaughter and shadowing Karst, but CAL’s unselfish play got others into the scoring act as China Dow drove the lane for nine points, Abby Erickson fended off a North Hardin rally by knocking down a theee-pointer, and Makenzie Dale chipped in two off a nice feed in transition from Slaughter. In spite of a valiant effort, the Lady Trojans were never able to catch up to CAL in the second half and China Dow's steal and free throws in the final minute sealed the victory.
Sideline notes:
CAL: Every player contributed to the win with assists by Slaughter, Karst, Dow, Emily Walden, and Casey Marshall. Defensively, China Dow’s seven steals caused the North Hardin attack to stumble. Off the bench, Madison Duff and Kate Joss collected rebounds and Tabitha Molloy provided defense in the paint, complementing Erickson's and Dale's baskets to dismiss any hope of a Lady Trojans comeback.
North Hardin: The Lady Trojans‟ win-loss record is deceptive as most of their losses have come to ranked teams in close contests. Overcoming the loss of two starters earlier in the season (including a D-1 signee), the team is searching for winning combinations and should be a dangerous opponent by post-season play in their district tournament.
Game scoring by quarter:
CAL 15 17 8 18 58
N. Hardin 10 17 9 14 50
Player statistics:
CAL: Allison Karst (22 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), Antonita Slaughter (20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals), China Dow (9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 7 steals), Abby Erickson (3 points), Anna Hart (2 points, 5 rebounds), Makenzie Dale (2 points, 1 steal)
North Hardin: Destiny Bramblett (22 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals), (16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal), Brianna Woodson 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals), Chanel Roberts (4 points, 3 rebounds)
Lexington Christian 47 CAL 38
(1/5/10) Returning home, the Lady Centurions rang in the New Year with a game they may resolve to forget. For the second season in a row, Lexington Christian’s Lady Eagles soared to a win while CAL gained a learning experience.
Perhaps overconfident and wanting to prove something after last season’s surprisingly lopsided loss, CAL’s one-on-one quick shots taken out of offensive rhythm and uncharacteristic poor passing allowed rival LCA to remain in contention in the first half, tie the game by the end of the third quarter, and win it in the final period. The Lady Eagles controlled the tempo and admirably executed their game plan, shutting down the inside game and forcing the Lady Centurions to hit from long range. On this occasion, CAL couldn't connect, hitting only 2 of 21 (9.5%) 3-pointers and 29 percent overall for the game, whether open or well-guarded.
All-state player Sara Beth Barnette led the Lady Eagles with 15 points and often dominated the rebounding. Allison Karst contributed 12 points and China Dow produced 10 points, 5 rebounds in the contest.
Game scoring by quarter:
CAL 12 10 9 7 38
LCA 12 6 13 16 47
Christmas Break Game Summaries
Republic Bank Holiday Classic (Dec. 18-22)
Quarterfinal round: CAL 69 Lexington Catholic 61
The contest was a “grin and bearly win it” affair, a ferocious physical challenge as CAL faced tournament host Lexington Catholic. The Lady Centurions survived the onslaught and made enough free throws to outlast the Lady Knights‟ strategy of creating a game with well over 50 fouls to test CAL‟s depth. Fortunately, the Lady Centurions maintained their composure and their resolve, led by Allison Karst's 35 points as she repeatedly drove the baseline for lay-ups or to be fouled, converting on 14 of 19 free throws. China Dow fought her way to 11 points and 15 rebounds while Antonita Slaughter added 16 points and 8 rebounds to improve the Lady Centurions’ record to 7-0 and advance to the semifinals.
Game scoring by quarter:
CAL 18 19 15 17 69
Lexington Cath. 9 25 14 13 61
Semifinal round: Manual 60 CAL 50
For the second season in a row, Manual ended CAL’s run in the highly regarded tournament of the state’s top teams. After an extremely physical game the previous evening against Lexington Catholic, the Lady Centurions didn’t have enough fuel in the tank to compete with the top-ranked Lady Crimsons for a full game the next morning at 9:00 a.m. CAL kept it close in the first half, trailing only 26-24 at the intermission. However, Manual’s depth made the difference in the second half, outscoring CAL’s bench 16-0. Antonita Slaughter was a bright spot for the Lady Centurions, scoring 37 points. Unfortunately, tired legs and Manual’s defense limited CAL’s team shooting to 33 percent for the game. A rematch between these Seventh Region foes may provide a more accurate assessment when both are well rested. Last year, CAL avenged the holiday tournament loss with two later wins over the Lady Crimsons, including the Seventh Region semifinal.
Game scoring by quarter:
CAL 14 10 11 15 50
Manual 14 12 18 16 60
Junior Orange Bowl Classic (Miami, Florida)
(Dec. 28-30) The Lady Centurions headed to the Sunshine State to test their mettle against some of the nation’s best. This post-Christmas tournament includes ranked and well-respected teams from Florida and the Southeast.
Quarterfinal round: CAL 46 Hialeah, FL 29
CAL gradually gained control and kept applying the pressure throughout their opening round game against a disciplined Hialeah squad. Attempting to force the tempo, CAL committed more turnovers than usual, but offset the weakness by holding Hialeah to 29 percent shooting. Offensively, a balanced attack may have surprised the opponent. Anna Hart led the Lady Centurions with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Antonita Slaughter just missed another double-double outing with 10 points and 8 rebounds; Allison Karst tossed in 10 points; China Dow added 8 points, 8 rebounds; Casey Marshall and Emily Walden completed the scoring with 4 and 2, respectively.
Game scoring by quarter:
CAL 13 9 16 8 46
Hialeah 8 5 10 6 29
Semifinal round: West Springfield, VA 48 CAL 46 (Overtime)
In this tournament semifinal matchup, CAL faced West Springfield, the No. 2 ranked team in Virginia, a multiple state championship winner among the state’s largest schools. This was a game of runs from the start, each team answering the other and forging a 20-20 halftime tie. In the third quarter, the Lady Spartans appeared to take control, finding the mark from three-point range and surging ahead 35-26. However, balance was the name of the game for the Lady Centurions in their comeback as Anna Hart, China Dow, and Allison Karst each had 11 points to share scoring honors. Antonita Slaughter, the focus of the opponents defense, scored 9 points and had 7 rebounds.
Outscoring West Springfield 16-7 in the fourth quarter, CAL knotted the score 42-42 at the end of regulation to force over-time. The extra period remained tight, but the ball and a call or two bounced in favor of the Lady Spartans and awarded them the two-point victory. In spite of the loss, this type of game against a high-caliber opponent should provide CAL confidence in knowing they can compete with anyone.
Game scoring by quarter:
CAL 7 13 6 16 4 46
W. Springfield 10 10 15 7 6 48
Final round (Third place consolation game): CAL 60 Douglass, GA 47
Maintaining a slight lead throughout the contest, CAL hit 25 of 29 free throws (mostly in the 4th quarter) to expand the margin and finally defeat a persistent Douglass squad from Georgia. Allison Karst scored 22 points (making 17 of 18 free throws); Antonita Slaughter added 14 points, 8 rebounds; Anna Hart had her third consecutive solid outing with 9 points and 8 rebounds; China Dow (7 points, 6 rebounds), Casey Marshall (4 points), Paige Gardner (2 points), and Madison Duff (2 points) provided the rest of the scoring.
Game scoring by quarter:
CAL 12 8 15 25 60
Douglass 7 10 17 13 47
