The Lady Yellow Jackets defended the Hive with a nine-point halftime advantage, but Southern Garrett found a way to penetrate the honeycomb scoring inside the paint causing it to crumble leading to a 50-48 victory rally on Friday night in Moorefield.
“[We] Played good first half. Thought we should have rebounded better. Defensively in third we didn’t step to help or deny cuts to basket. Gave up layups in third quarter. Needed to protect ball, had many turnovers that were unforced and just bad decisions. Definitely a game we let slip away. We cut that penetration off first half. We had way too many mental mistakes,” Moorefield coach Paul Keplinger stated.
Both teams had three players apiece scoring in double figures with Southern Garrett’s Hannah Owens scoring a game-high 16 points in the victory, followed by Brooke Davis with 14 markers and Jocelyn Evans added ten points; meanwhile Moorefield was guided by Madison McGregor with 13 points, followed by Lindsey Rinker with a dozen points and Lexi Gilhuys pitched in ten markers.
The Lady Rams cruised inside for layups in the second half as Moorefield struggled to recreate the success of denying the penetration from the first half.
Southern Garrett opened the game winning the tip-off, then Brooke Davis drew a foul on a block attempt by Moorefield’s Gianna Fair leading to one of two free throws made as the second ricocheted off the rim out of play.
Lady Rams pressure caused a turnover as the ball was mishandled at mid-court going backcourt.
Southern Garrett’s Hannah Owens netted a jumper to take a 3-nil lead at the 7:24 mark.
Fair connected with Remington Hinkle inside the paint as the Lady Yellow Jackets answered.
A layup by Lady Rams guard Jordyn Warnick pushed the lead back up to 5-2 at 6:24.
Moorefield missed two attempts, then the Lady Rams took it the other way with Jocelyn Evans drawing a foul and adding two foul shots.
Both teams missed baskets with rebounds by Owens and Gilhuys, with the latter defensive board leading to a 3-pointer by McGregor as the Lady Yellow Jackets cut the deficit to 7-5 at the 5:26 mark.
McGregor and Hinkle grabbed defensive rebounds over the next minute before Gilhuys landed a jumper to tie the game at 4:29.
After another Lady Rams miss, there was a jump ball for Moorefield.
McGregor dished to Gilhuys for a jumper which gave the Lady Yellow Jackets their first lead of the game at the 3:34 mark, 9-7.
Fair snatched a rebound, then passed to Rinker, who found McGregor for a jumper extending the edge 11-7 at 2:55.
Moorefield held the lead in the game, until just under three minutes remaining in the third period.
The Lady Rams recorded a shot coming from Owens on the ensuing possession.
A minute later after a pair of rim rockers, Fair made a block and steal which created a score by McGregor at 1:49.
Hinkle swiped the ball and was fouled in the process as Davis collided with her sending them to the floor.
Moorefield didn’t get a basket with Owens grabbing the rebound, then the Lady Rams hit the rim and Owens was there for the board passing to Davis drawing a foul for one free throw and Fair collected the next carom.
After a charge, Owens hit a jumper for Southern Garrett to pull within one, 13-12 with 35 seconds left in the first period.
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Gilhuys adds a free throw, then Fair blocks a shot and Gilhuys receives the pass scoring with four seconds on the clock providing a 16-12 Moorefield lead entering the second period.
“It was a well fought game. We expected it, because they had many returners from last year. Obviously, we lost four starting seniors and our other starter is hurt. We had five new starters and you never know what you’re going to get when you have five new kids playing,” Southern Garrett coach Rodger Bowman commented.
“When we went into full court pressure and made them run more, it helped us. They were sluggish in the first half and addressed that at halftime. We told them they can run plays inside and not force things, do better reading the defense. I wasn’t calm at any point, because I know they [Moorefield] can shoot threes, I scouted them and they can shoot them well. When she made that one with 1.6 seconds left, I was like whew, we just need to get the ball in play,”
Both teams missed a basket to open the second period with rebounds by Rinker and Gilhuys, then Southern Garrett’s Evans made a steal and was fouled after a missed shot.
Rinker stole the ball and passed to Gilhuys, but Davis made a block.
Hinkle tossed the ball into play for Rinker making a clear jumper at 7:05, 18-12.
The Lady Rams scored on the ensuing possession on a shot by Owens.
Southern Garrett’s Jordyn Warnick made a defensive rebound and was fouled, then Owens got an offensive board and was whistled for a double dribble.
Warwick applied pressure forcing a carrying violation at mid-court.
Davis snatched an offensive rebound and passed to Owens for a basket making it 18-16 at the 5:30 mark.
Southern Garrett’s McKenzie Wilt and Moorefield’s Regan Davy made back-to-back steals with the latter leading to a pair of free throws made by Rinker at 4:07.
Rinker made a partial block and Davy recovered the ball, but it was swiped away by Warnick drawing a foul for two foul shots made.
The Lady Yellow Jackets responded with a 3-pointer by McGregor at 3:31.
McGregor stole the ball, but it was taken back by Davis along the baseline and called for stepping out of bounds when trying to throw it back in play.
After the turnover, Rinker knocked down a 3-pointer to give Moorefield a 26-18 advantage with 3:10 remaining in the first half.
Over the next two minutes, the Lady Rams missed seven field goals and added two free throws by Davis.
McGregor drilled a 3-pointer with just under a minute left in the half to boost the Lady Yellow Jackets lead to 29-20 entering the locker room as both teams missed attempts in the final seconds despite a steal by Rinker.
The Lady Rams attacked the basket with a layup by Davis to commence the third period.
Fair was fouled on the next possession and made both free throws for Moorefield at 7:35.
After an offensive foul, Wilt made a defensive rebound leading to another layup by Davis at 6:47, 31-24.
Southern Garrett grabbed three of the next four rebounds on missed shots by both teams and Rinker snatched one.
Davis scored on a putback reaching over for the rebound and making the basket at 5:45.
Hinkle found Fair for a basket in the paint on the ensuing series for the Lady Yellow Jackets.
Evans scored for the Lady Rams moments later, then Davis stole the ball and Emilee Tasker made a putback to slice the deficit to 33-30 at the 4:21 mark.
Warwick made steal after a timeout, then Hinkle committed a foul.
Hinkle and Fair blocked shot attempts by Southern Garrett with Fair snatching the ball away which led to a missed opportunity and Owens got the board.
Fair made another block, then Gilhuys passed to Gracie O’Neill for a Moorefield field goal at 3:27.
Warnick scored ten seconds later for the Lady Rams.
After a miss by the Lady Yellow Jackets with a rebound by Owens, Warnick drilled a game-tying 3-pointer, 35-all at the 2:52 mark.
Warnick hauled in a rebound and threw an off-balanced ricochet off of McGregor along the baseline.
Owens made a jumper to give the Lady Rams the lead at the 2:23 mark and drew a foul, but missed the free throw with Fair collecting the rebound.
Warwick made a defensive rebound again and fed Evans for a basket in the paint at 1:52, 39-35.
A steal by Evans led to a miss and rebound by Owens, but Fair blocked the next shot attempt and passed to Rinker, who assisted Fair on a jumper moments later.
Owens made a putback for Southern Garrett on the ensuing possession with 37 seconds on the clock, 41-37.
Ten seconds later, McGregor dished to Fair for a basket as the Lady Yellow Jackets made it a one possession game.
After a foul by Moorefield with four seconds left in the third period, Davis sliced inside for a basket as time expired giving the Lady Rams a 43-39 edge.
Owens and Rinker created steals in the opening seconds of the final stanza with the latter leading to an old-fashioned three-point play from Rinker to make it 43-42 at the 7:31 mark.
O’Neill grabbed a defensive rebound, then Rinker kept the next possession alive with a rebound only to have the next shot miss and Davis came away with the board en route to a jumper by Owens at 6:18, 45-42.
There was no scoring over the next two minutes as Moorefield lost the ball twice and Rinker made a steal along with Fair blocking a shot.
Rinker made a spinning jumper in the paint for the Lady Yellow Jackets at the 4:19 mark after two missed free throw by Southern Garrett, 45-44.
Rinker collected a defensive rebound and passed to Hinkle, who drew a foul and missed the first free throw before a Lady Rams timeout and that didn’t ice the next one as Hinkle scored the game-tying free throw at 3:42.
Gilhuys applied pressure forcing Southern Garrett to cough up the ball out of play, but Wilt made a block on the other end.
Gilhuys made a defensive rebound, then Davis and Wilt deflected passes out of bounds.
Moorefield had two shot attempts go awry as Rinker drove through tight defenses in the paint and no fouls were called as the ball fell out of bounds both times.
Southern Garrett stalled on offense before Warnick made a jumper with 1:36 remaining to go up 47-45.
Davis collected a tipped ball off a miss by the Lady Yellow Jackets and drew a foul leading to a one-and-one making both charity stripe baskets for a 49-45 lead with 1:02 left.
Warwick grabbed a defensive board and Evans was fouled with 31 seconds to go and missed the free throw with it bouncing out of play off Moorefield.
A quick foul sent Warnick to the line missing the one-and-one with Fair snatching the board.
Moorefield missed a field goal and Owens collected the rebound and passed to Wilt, who was fouled with 11 seconds to go.
Wilt made one of two free throws for a 50-45 advantage, then Fair hauled in the board.
Gilhuys drilled a 3-pointer with one second left as the Lady Yellow Jackets cut the final score loss to Southern Garrett to 50-48.
Moorefield will visit Allegany this Friday in Cumberland, Md. and travel to Oakland, Md. for a rematch against Southern Garrett next Wednesday.
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