LADY OWLS GO 2-1 FOR THE WEEK; DISTRICT TOURNAMENT STARTS FEB.23

The season is slowly winding down with one more week of games before the district tournament starts Monday, Feb. 23 at Lee County.

This last week saw the Lady Owls in action in three games. The most recent game was Saturday’s game against Pike Central. The game was part of a doubleheader with the boys playing Richmond Model in the second game.

 

The Lady Owls put on a strong performance in the first half and built up a big lead of 35-16 by intermission. It was one of their best halves of the basketball season. They cooled off in the second half, and Pike Central made a great push to get themselves back in the game. Senior guard Larah Stanley came alive, scoring all 21 of her team-high points in the half, and had the Lady Hawks within 6 points at one time. However, Owsley held on and finally won by a score of 59-52.

 

Freshman guard Lauren Gay has been on a hot shooting streak lately and in this game connected on five 3-pointers and finished with 18 points. Junior forward Kamilla Marcum had another double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds. Sophomore Delaney Smith had 13 points, which included a pair of 3-pointers, and was very proficient at directing the team and getting everyone involved in the offense. Sophomore Harley Dooley scored 4 points, sophomore Kiley Taylor had 2, and seventh-grader Keirah Shouse had 2.

Laura Stanley led the Lady Hawks with 21 points, and freshman Zoe Billiter scored 12.

 

The Lady Owls played a very athletic and quick team on the previous night before the Pike Central game. It was the second of two scheduled games, with the first one last year at Danville.

 

The Lady Admirals (they call themselves the Lady Ads), got off to a quick start by virtue of forcing the Lady Owls into numerous turnovers. They led 13-6 after one quarter and 29-12 at the half. The second half was much better for Owsley. They scored 27 points in the half, much better than the 12 they scored in the first half, but it still wasn’t enough to overcome Danville as they cruised on to a 61-41 victory.

 

Much of the damage for the Lady Ads was done by their senior forward Tayvionna Caldwell, who finished the game high with 36 points, 12 above her season average of 24 per game.

 

Owsley was led by Delaney Smith with 16 points. Kamilla Marcum scored 12 points, Lauren Gay 12, and Harley Dooley 1.

Owsley played at home Wednesday, Feb. 11 in their last district game of the year, with Powell County being the opponent. The Lady Owls had few issues in dispatching the Lady Pirates 63-34. All the district games are now completed, and Owsley is the second seed in next week’s district tournament at Lee, with Powell the third seed and Lee the fourth.

 

Kamilla Marcum had a huge game with 35 points and 18 rebounds. Delaney Smith scored 14 points, Lauren Gay 9, Keirah Shouse 3, Nala Pittman 2, and Harley Dooley had 1.

 

Going into this week’s 3-game schedule, the Lady Owls have a 9-16 record, not bad at all for such a young team. They are shooting 39% on field goals, 28% from behind the arc, and 73% from the free-throw line.

 

Coach Travis Smith knows there are some things he needs to iron out the week before tournament action, but overall, he is pleased with his team’s progress this season.

 

“Over half our roster is seventh-graders. These girls have come a long way since we started practicing in the fall. They finally showed some glimpses of what they can do in the Pike Central game, and hopefully, that will carry over into the tournament.”