Morgan McElfresh elevates for a layup in the first quarter of Henry County’s 42-36 loss to Trimble County on Friday, Dec. 12.
Abby Hooven
Josie Peyton chases down a loose ball against Trimble County’s Anna Brierly.
Abby Hooven
Trimble County held on down the stretch to defeat Henry County 42-36 on Friday, Dec. 12.
The Lady Cats battled all evening in a back-and-forth district showdown, but the Lady Raiders made a few key plays in the final minute to come away with a win.
“It was a great effort, and overall, basketball is just like a game of very small decisions making a big impact and our timeliness with our bad decisions, whether it was rotations or turnovers or anything like that, just came back to bite us,” said head coach Landon New.
Morgan McElfresh started the game for the Lady Cats on a high note, draining a layup just 20 seconds into the first quarter.
Both defenses set the tone early in the game with aggressive plays to force a few turnovers.
The Lady Cats pressured the Lady Raiders into a couple of miscues and McElfresh stuffed a shot attempt in the first three minutes, while Trimble County used its full court press to earn a couple steals and slow Henry County’s offensive flow.
Kinsten Long hit a layup off one of the turnovers caused by their press and Ainslie Stark added a free throw to put Trimble County ahead 3-2.
Henry County kept attacking the basket and took advantage of a free throw by Taylor Lawrey and a pair of free throws from Malin Way to reclaim the lead 5-3.
Stark countered with a three to put Trimble County back in front before Stormi King tied the game at 6-6 with a free throw.
The Lady Raiders continued to lean on their outside shooting as the quarter progressed, and Long connected on a wing three with 3:25 on the clock to break the tie.
Way converted a layup off a well-timed pass to cut the lead back to one, but the Lady Raiders forced a few more turnovers late in the period and hit a pair of free throws to head into the second quarter with an 11-8 advantage.
Each team’s defensive efforts ramped up early in the quarter to keep the score at 11-8 for the first three minutes of action.
Henry County battled for a number of offensive boards but were unable to convert during that stretch, which was broken up by a baseline jumper from the Lady Raiders and a layup from Josie Peyton.
Kendra Mahoney dropped in a layup off an inbound play to push the lead to five, but Peyton struck again with a tough finish to trim the lead back to three.
McElfresh offset a Stark triple with a three off her own and swatted another 3-point attempt to fuel the Lady Cats’ efforts.
Pyper Engelstad came off the bench with two huge shots on the block to pull the Lady Cats within one and Azria Kelly sank a midrange jumper to bring the lead down to 23-21 with 27 seconds left in the half.
Engelstad capped off the Lady Cats’ late surge with a free throw to head into halftime facing a 23-22 deficit.
The overall physicality intensified in the second half and both teams were held scoreless for the opening three minutes until Claire Liter connected on a corner 3-point shot to boost the lead to 26-22.
Peyton stayed aggressive in the paint for a putback, cutting the lead to two, but Mariah Rumsey pushed the advantage back to four points with a midrange jumper for the Lady Raiders.
Both defenses clamped down as the quarter continued before Henry County found a burst of momentum to take the lead.
After three free throws by Lawrey, McElfresh finished a strong drive to put the Lady Cats in front and Way added a layup right before the buzzer to put Henry County ahead 31-28 at the end of third quarter.
Trimble County fought back, though, and reclaimed the lead on a corner three by Long with 6:13 to play.
Two minutes later, McElfresh evened the score at 33 all on a putback.
Trimble County turned to its interior game over the next two minutes to snap the tie. Mahoney led the way with two baskets on the block and Stark drained another 3-pointer on the wing to put the Lady Raiders in front 40-33.
Henry County kept fighting and cut the lead to four with a corner three by Way, but Trimble County halted the Lady Cats down the stretch and sealed the victory at the foul line in the final 10 seconds.
“I was really proud of the girls and their effort and stick-to-it-iveness where they could have folded in the third quarter. We did a lot of good things and I was proud of them,” said New.
McElfresh and Way finished with nine points apiece for Henry County and Peyton added six points.
The Lady Cats returned to action at home against crosstown rival Eminence on Tuesday night. Heading into that game, New hoped to see his players clean up some miscues from the loss and grow from the experience.
“It’s just a bunch of small decisions. We’ve got to clean up some of the rotational stuff that we missed tonight and the turnovers obviously,” said New. “Just having game time under our belt and just getting them used to making those decisions and putting them in places and spots where they can be successful.”