Lady Cougars drop heartbreaker in Prentiss
By Clara Aucoin, Magee Courier
The Simpson Lady Cougars started their contest against Prentiss Christian well. They came out rebounding well, running the court, not making turnovers, and their shots were falling. The defense was getting the job done, and Prentiss was pretty much doing the same thing. That was the kind of game it was, right down until the final buzzer when Simpson lost a heartbreaker 38-35. If the Lady Cougars played with a deficit during the night, it was on the offensive boards. It would also be unfair to say they lived and died by the three-point shot, because that was not what their game was all about. However, both could be argued as true.
When the threes fell, it was all good. But when the threes ricocheted off the rim, there were no offensive rebounders to be seen. But Simpson was doing good work on the defensive boards.
Prentiss liked to run, and they had some size inside. When they did get the chance to run, they had good results because they could get the ball into their big inside players, or just leave the field with their quick point people. Usually, however, Simpson kept the Prentiss team well contained in their zone defense. After a productive first quarter, the Cougars slowed down markedly in the second quarter, as did Prentiss. Although the score was 15-12 at the end of the first quarter, at the half, it was only 19-17, Prentiss. In the third quarter, after making some half-time adjustments, the Simpson Lady Cougars went to their threes. Christa Smith, a junior, and Kasey McWilliams, a freshman, both lit up the scoreboard in the third quarter with good downtown shots. At the end of the third quarter the score was knotted 26-26.
The Cougars went to a man defense in the fourth quarter. That defense was opening up the lane for Prentiss, but the shots were not good and Simpson was flooding the defensive boards, snagging rebounds. Those rebounds kept them in the game because the Lady Cougars were still struggling with the offensive glass.
The two teams traded shots for the fourth quarter, both working hard. The lead changed frequently, the score was tied, and things went back and forth. Prentiss got a 38-35 lead with approximately one and one-half minutes left in the game, and although Simpson had time to get off several shots, they were all three point attempts and they all skittered off the rim to come down in the hands of Prentiss. Simpson worked hard to get the ball back and made some hard-working steals down the stretch, but the shots just didn’t fall. The final was 38-35. Simpson played Wayne Academy on Monday night, and will play Brookhaven on Friday night at home. Game time begins at 3:15. Brookhaven will be a big conference battle for the Lady Cougars.
