Shannon Hutchinson, Sports Writer
Monticello — The Monticello Lady Trojans met tournament host Southwestern, last
Thursday night at SW Gym, in the championship game of the 48th District
Tournament. Monticello entered with a 17-11 record and advanced into the
matchup with a 46-42 win over McCreary Central, in the opening round.
Southwestern topped Wayne County 49-46 in the other first round game and
owned an 18-9 mark. The teams split their regular season contests with the
Lady Warriors winning at MHS, on December 8th 72-45 and the Lady Trojans
returning the favor a month later 68-66, in overtime.
Southwestern used an 11-1 run to end the first quarter and never trailed
again, en route to a 52-39 championship win. Junior guard Danay Fothergill
led a very balanced attack with 17 points and senior Emily Walker added 4
3-pointers, plus made 2 of 4 free throws to total 14 points, as the Lady
Warriors made the most of a decisive 36-18 rebound advantage.
"Early on both teams battled hard and made some big shots, but the
difference was at 14-12 we cooled off and they kept their offense going. We
came out on defense trying to limit Danay Fothergill's penetration, but then
both Emily Walker and Destiny Molden stepped up to make some big threes. We
had to change that, which allowed Fothergill some looks, plus Jessica Pierce
just controlled the backboards. They killed us on the boards, Pierce is so
hard to box-out, plus sometimes when we managed to check-out we would fumble
the ball out of bounds," said Monticello head coach Marla Kelsch.
Fothergill tallied on 9 of 11 free throw attempts and totaled 4 field
goals, while Molden netted 10 points, aided by two 3-pointers. Jessica
Pierce converted 4 of 4 free throws to net 8 points, as five different Lady
Warriors scored in the win.
"We just didn't keep our offense going like they did, but we did manage
to cut the lead to three points in the second half. We had opportunities,
but missed a couple lay-ups and another easy shot, then had to foul.
Southwestern is a tough team to have to foul late and to their credit, they
made free throws to push their lead back out late. This game really was much
closer than the score indicated," said Kelsch.
The Lady Trojans, which had a four-game winning streak snapped to drop
to 17-12, placed two scorers in double figures led by the 15 points of
Malesha Hughes. The 5-9 sophomore forward made 7 of 12 field goal attempts
and 1 of 6 free throws, while Lacey Alley tallied on 4 of 9 floor attempts
to net 10 points with 3 rebounds.
"I thought we really played well at times, but this was one of those
games we just struggled to sustain anything. Our crowd was tremendous and at
times I thought they gave our team the momentum and a big boost. Their
involvement was a huge plus, so hopefully they'll travel with us to regional
play, I know it meant a lot to our kids," said Kelsch.
Cortney Morrow totaled 5 points with 5 assists and 3 boards, while
Autumn Bell grabbed a team best 5 rebounds, with 3 points. Mariah Hughes
netted 5 points and Tiara Duncan contributed 1 point, to round-out the six
Lady Trojans in the scoring margin.
Both teams opened hot out of the gate and traded baskets for most of the
opening quarter as Southwestern claimed a 14-12 lead. Emily Walker nailed
three 3-pointers for 9 points and Danay Fothergill totaled 8 points, as the
hosts ended the period with an 11-1 run to take a 25-13 advantage.
Monticello was led by the 6 points of Malesha Hughes.
"The first six minutes may have been exciting as any game I've been a
part of, I just wished we could've kept it going," said Kelsch.
Monticello used two 3-pointers in the second stanza to spark an 11-7
surge, to leave the halftime score at 32-24. The locals missed some
opportunities from the free throw line, shooting just 4 of 8 from the
charity-stripe in the half.
Defense dominated the third frame, as Malesha Hughes led all players
with 6 points and the Lady Trojans used an 8-7 tilt, to close the gap to
39-32 after three periods.
"We certainly had some chances in the second half, but just couldn't
make a shot or two, to get us over the hump," said Kelsch.
Southwestern connected on 11 of 15 free throws down the stretch to seal
the win, led by the 7 points of Danay Fothergill. Monticello missed some key
shots and was forced to foul, as the Lady Warriors rolled to a 52-39 win.
The winners shot 14 of 38 from the field for 37 percent and tallied on 7
of 23 3-pointers for 30 percent. Southwestern marked on 17 of 21 free throws
for 81 percent and finished with 14 turnovers.
"Give the credit to Southwestern, they made their free throws and had
several girls step up throughout the game to make big shots. I think they
can make some noise at the region, they are tough to defend," said Kelsch.
The Lady Trojans made 14 of 42 field goal attempts for 33 percent and
connected on 4 of 19 3-pointers for 21 percent. The squad converted on 7 of
14 free throws for 50 percent and totaled 13 assists with 5 steals, against
11 turnovers.
Up next for the squad is a Tuesday night date with 46th District
champion Mercer County. The Titans have the region's third best record at
20-9, led by the senior duo of Leah Flora and Abra Sickles. The
inside-outside tandum both average around 11 points each.
"Mercer County has a very nice ball club, but they are a team we do know
a little about after playing them in their Christmas tournament last year.
We just need to refocus our goals and this being a new experience for our
team, we must understand that anything can happen, once you reach the
regional tournament," said Kelsch.
The Titans won their district with a 65-45 title game win over East
Jessamine and knocked off Burgin 73-41 in first round play.
"We have had success going in as the Runner-up before, so hopefully we
can go up there with another good crowd and give a big effort," said Kelsch.
The winner of that match up will face the winner of Rockcastle County
and Garrard County, in the semifinals. Details on the contest in next week's
edition of The Outlook.
