Basketball – JH Lady ‘Cats Basketball ends 2020 Season
By Coach Jennifer Smith
Thursday, Dec. 17, the Licking seventh and eighth Licking Lady Wildcats traveled to Willow Springs to take on the Lady Bears. The seventh grade took the floor first, looking to revenge their loss at home earlier in the season. The ‘Cats fell to the full court pressure of the Bears in the first half, committing several turnovers and falling to foul trouble, giving the Bears a 20-8 half-time lead. Defensive pressure and tighter defense by Licking slowed down the scoring of their opponents, but unfortunately it was a little late, as they could not make up the difference offensively and fell to the Bears 27-17.
On Tuesday, Dec. 15, the Rolla Lady Bulldogs came to town to take on the Lady ‘Cats. Again, full court pressure by their opponent caused the ‘Cats to turn the ball over and fall behind early, 13-2 in the first quarter. The Bulldogs continued their pressure, defeating the Licking Wildcats 41-19. The young group of Sadie Hutsell, Mylie Peterson, Katelyn Mitchell, Mya Rinne and Addison Floyd has worked hard all season to improve different areas of their game. At times, sparks of improvement could be seen in games by each individually and as a group. Good luck next year!
The eighth grade Lady ‘Cats concluded their season taking on the Lady Bears of Willow Springs. From the tip-off, this group has always been like racehorses waiting to be released from the starting gates. This night was no different, controlling the tip, scoring on the fast break and applying full court pressure led to an exciting, 19-4, first quarter lead. The ‘Cats pulled off the full court pressure the remainder of the game and allowed their aggressive defense to antagonize the Bears, getting multiple fast breaks to build their lead. Even when they were forced to slow the pace down offensively, the Lady ‘Cats continued to find a way to put points on the board, pulling out the win 43-8, ending their season with an 8-2 record. This group of Aubrey Gorman, Kinley Keaton, Halee Clayton, Josie Wells, Allie Medlock, Allie Hock, Linzie Wallace and Zoey Dawson are unique and exciting to watch, no matter the combination. They are unselfish and push each other to their limits in practice and in games. Their work ethic is apparent on both offensive and defensive ends of the floor. This game was the seventh out of ten games that all players who touched the floor were in the scoring attack. This makes it hard for an opponent to slow any team down.
“Thanks for the ride in 2020 and for working hard to overcome and be successful.” Coach Jennifer Smith.
