Suddenly beatable Lady Pirates lose second game in four
The dream season “The Last Dance” is still a remarkably successful one for the Cardington-Lincoln Lady Pirates. They are 15-2 on the season, 11-0 in KMAC play, have clinched the league title and own a 66-game unbeaten streak in KMAC games. But they have also lost two of their last four games, with the loss on the road on Feb .1 to Clear Fork, 60-46.
Team illness, COVID-19 protocols, missed practices and tough opponents are culprits, but the once-invincible Lady Pirates have been taking on water of late. Make no mistake, however, C-L has lost to two very strong programs – two very good teams.
Clear Fork is no slouch. They are 17-3 and 10-3 in Mid-Ohio play. The Lady Colts have outscored opponents by 375 points in 20 games this season – the Lady Pirates have outscored their opponents by 325 points in 17 games. As with River Valley before them (on Jan. 18), as vanquishers of the Lady Pirates, Clear Fork is a Division II school and The Lady Colts have post-season aspirations as well.
The host Lady Colts rode a 25-point performance by 6-foot-4 senior Bekah Conrad, and stifled the Lady Pirates with tough defense. Clear Fork started strong with a 17-9 first quarter, hitting their first seven shots from the field. Conrad led four Colt scorers with six points. Dana Bertke led Cardington-Lincoln with five.
In the second, Colt Lily Wortman sank three 3-pointers on her way to 15 points, to help Clear Fork take a 32-21 halftime lead. Mac Linkous scored five in the second for C-L.
In the second half, back-to-back 14-point quarters with timely lobs into the high-scoring center Conrad, who scored 17 in the second half, did most of the damage. Meanwhile, Cardington-Lincoln managed only eight points in the third and only one bucket – a 2-pointer from Emmalee Artz.
With the score 46-29 after three, the Lady Pirates made a run with 14 straight points. Beth Hardwick drove the lane for a lay-up to cut the lead to five at 48-43 with just over four minutes remaining, but the Colts stampeded into overdrive and finished on an 8-1 gallop to put the game on ice. Bertke hit for seven in the final quarter and Beth Hardwick scored five.
Leading scorers for Cardington-Lincoln were Bertke with 16, while Artz, Hardwick and Linkous each tallied seven.
After slow start, Scots hold off Indians, 48-40
Highland put together two solid quarters mid-game and held on to beat Mount Gilead, 48-40 in a Feb. 1 contest.
In a low-scoring 5-5 first quarter, Madilyn Elson hit Mount Gilead’s only bucket in the frame and Brylinn Tuggle hit the only shot from the field for Highland.
Guinevere Jackson netted two threes and Tuggle added five points in the second for the Fighting Lady Scots, who took a 22-16 lead. Grace Shipman sank two deuces in the second for the Indians.
After the break, the teams played back and forth with Highland taking a 13-11 advantage in the quarter. Tuggle and Jackson each sank threes and Emma West hit a pair of deuces for the Scots. Elson bombed in two threes and Aubrey Thomas one in the third for the Indians. The quarter ended with a 35-27 lead for Highland.
West took over in the fourth for Highland by netting four 2-pointers. Elson hit nine on the fourth to keep it close for Mount Gilead, but Highland held on for an eight-point win. The victory raised Highland’s season mark to 8-10, 4-6 in Mid-Ohio play, and Mount Gilead dropped to 7-11, 3-9 in KMAC.
Highland was led in scoring by West’s 19, Tuggle’s 11 and Jackson’s 10. Elson was Mount Gilead’s only scorer in double figures with a game-high 19 points.
