The Lady Pioneers piled up a 17-10 lead at the half versus Centertown on Monday night. It was not enough and the Lady Warriors came out in the second half and claimed the lead and the win by a final score of 22-20.
Katy Mae Cantrell for Centertown led all scorers with a game-high nine points.
Whatever was said in the locker room at the half worked because the Lady Warriors came out and played with fire in their eyes in the second half. Centertown surrounded the Lady Pioneers with their defense and created chaos for WCMS.
Turnover after turnover and constant full-court pressure on the basketball left the Lady Pioneers scoreless in the third quarter. Shots would not fall for the Lady Pioneer shooters no matter where they were taken as the team only scored three points after the break.
Cantrell led the Centertown offense in the third and she dropped in four of her nine-point total after the first half. Madison Hollis pushed the ball inside and helped to cut into the Lady Pioneer lead with two points.
To start the fourth quarter, WCMS led 17-16 and was losing its momentum. The shooting woes continued and carried over into the fourth. Shots that fell in the first half just would not go down in the second half. Bella Cantrell was the only Lady Pioneer to find the range in the second half from the floor and Halo Armstrong made good on 1-of-2 from the charity stripe as time ticked off the clock.
Centertown continued to push the tempo versus the Lady Pioneer defense. Cantrell attacked the low post and dropped in two more points for Centertown. Jaden Smartt was fouled and she made good on both her free-throw attempts and Bella Bain shot 1-of-2 from the line.
The Lady Warriors outscored the Lady Pioneers in the final quarter and Centertown claimed the lead and went on to a 22-20 win over WCMS.
In the first quarter, the game was close and neither team gained much of an advantage over the other. Katie Toney was quicker to the ball and she pushed the Lady Warrior defense to the max. Toney scored four points in the opening quarter.
Offense for Centertown came from Madison Hollis, who dropped four in the paint and kept her Lady Warriors within reach.
The second quarter is when WCMS started to extend its lead over Centertown. Ena Yasungar picked up her only two points in the second quarter on a fast break. Mea Starkey shot 2-of-2 from the free-throw line for her only two points.
Centertown slipped in the second quarter and got caught on its heels. Smartt and Hollis combined for the only offense in the dismal scoring second quarter for Centertown.
The Lady Warriors went to the half down 17-10 and somehow managed to hold off the Lady Pioneer offense in the second half. Centertown fought its way back to a 22-20 come-from-behind win Monday.
LADY WARRIOR SCORING – Katy Mae Cantrell 9, Madison Hollis 8, Jaden Smartt 4, Bella Bain 1
LADY PIONEER SCORING – Katie Toney 6, Bella Cantrell 6, Halo Armstrong 4, Ena Yasungar 2, Mea Starkey 2