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11-29-2011, 05:55 PM
If you can't make it to the game listen to all the coverage on LAKE 102.3.
Tip is set for 7:30.
Tip is set for 7:30.
11-29-2011, 07:26 PM
Season kicks off with cross-town clash
By MICHAEL CHILDERS, CJ Correspondent
Commonwealth Journal
Somerset — Both Somerset and Southwestern come into this evening’s cross-town match-up with something in common, as both squads will have to replace key starters from last season.
Chris Adkins’ Lady Briar Jumpers lose Lori Thomas and Virginia Scott from last year’s squad, while the Lady Warriors will not have Danay Fothergill and Jessica Pierce returning for the 2011-2012 high school girls basketball season.
Thomas, who was Somerset’s lone senior last season, was the Lady Jumpers’ go-to player all-season long. Thomas averaged 8.5 points per game last year. Scott, who is not playing this season, was Somerset’s leading scorer in the 2010-2011 season, putting up 10 points per contest.
With the loss of Fothergill and Pierce to graduation, Southwestern is going to be young this season, to say the least. Fothergill, who is currently having some success for the Lady Hilltoppers at Western Kentucky University, averaged 22.3 points per game last season. Pierce, who is playing at Berea College this winter, chimed in with 11.3 points per contest.
As you can see, both Somerset and Southwestern lose a lot from the 2010-2011 season.
Just how young is Southwestern? Well, Tim Rice and company have just one upperclassmen on the entire roster in lone senior Hannah Grant. After Grant, the remainder of Southwestern’s roster is made up of underclassmen.
Freshmen Adison Corder and Destiny Molden, along with Grant, are the Lady Warriors’ three returning starters for the 2011-2012. The trio will all start in tonight’s match-up with Somerset.
Southwestern’s lead returning scorer is Corder, who put up 10.3 points a game as an eighth-grader a season ago. Molden is the Lady Warriors’ second leading returning scorer, as she averaged 6.5 points per game. You will see both ladies bring the ball up the floor tonight against the Lady Jumpers.
The other two remaining starters for Southwestern are eighth-grader Samantha Fitzgerald and freshman Brittany Combs, who each played some key minutes for coach Rice last year.
Somerset, meanwhile, is just the opposite, as the Lady Jumpers will have a trio of seniors - Mariko Krause, Cassie Bray, and Alyssa Anciro - in their starting line-up. In fact, a sophomore (Madison Brooks) is the youngest starter that Somerset will have in the first five this evening.
However, Somerset only returns a pair of starters from last year, so they are light on experience, too.
“We’ve got some kids that are seniors who haven’t started a varsity game yet, so I don’t know that experience will be a factor for us in this game,” explained the Somerset coach.
The Lady Jumpers’ leading scorer coming back this winter is Krause, who was second on the team in points per game last season with 9.5 per contest. Bray will also help out the Lady Jumpers this season, as she tallied 8.6 points per game a season ago.
Junior point guard Bethany Edwards, who is a two-year starter, will also be back for the Lady Jumpers, starting at the same position tonight against Southwestern. As a sophomore, Edwards averaged 5.4 points a game.
Brooks, who played big-time minutes a freshman, will look to have an even better sophomore campaign this season.
Southwestern, who went 24-8 last season, will host the Lady Jumpers in their season opener.
“This is not the ideal game for a season opener,” told Rice. “As everyone knows, these cross-town games have a way of being intense almost every year. I am glad to be playing a quality team such as Somerset to get a feeling about my team. Somerset has a lot of experience coming back this year and they will be a tough test for my young team, but win or lose I feel a coach gets some positive feedback playing good competition early in the season.”
As of late, Southwestern has ruled the series, winning three consecutive games over the Lady Jumpers.
In their two meetings last season, the Lady Warriors won both games by double digits, coming home with victories of 68-53 and 49-36.
The two squads split their regular season match-ups in the 2009-2010 season. In the December meeting, Adkins and crew came away with a 63-48 win over the ‘Blue and Orange.’ Southwestern began their three-game winning streak against Somerset with a buzzer-beater from Fothergill, who lifted the Lady Warriors to a 60-57 victory.
According to the Lady Jumper basketball coach, his team must take care of the basketball to pull-off a victory over Southwestern this evening. Turning the ball over was Somerset’s Achilles heel last season, so Adkins is hoping to begin the year on the right foot.
“Taking care of the basketball, we’ve got to take care of the basketball,” Adkins said. “We’ve also got to play aggressive on defense.”
Rice agrees with Adkins, as limiting turnovers will be the key for the ‘Blue and Orange.’
“I feel the keys to beating Somerset is to limit your turnovers against their press, be patient enough to get good looks versus their zone and of course make shots,” stated the Lady Warrior coach. “We must rebound the ball well and not give up second and third shots as Somerset does crash the boards on the offensive end. Also, we must control our emotions and not let the first game jitters get the best of us.”
“I feel in this first game as well as the rest of the season, we must make shots,” continued Rice. “In the past several years, we have been a team that could put a lot of points on the board. I feel this team will be the same way, as the season progresses. In judging our team this year, I think a person should watch our team in December and then again in February and hopefully we will have matured a little and improved a lot.”
This evening’s game will be the second game of the year for Somerset, as they hosted Garrard County last night at the Briar Patch.
Tonight’s cross-town clash will get underway at the Wigwam of Southwestern at 7:30 p.m.
By MICHAEL CHILDERS, CJ Correspondent
Commonwealth Journal
Somerset — Both Somerset and Southwestern come into this evening’s cross-town match-up with something in common, as both squads will have to replace key starters from last season.
Chris Adkins’ Lady Briar Jumpers lose Lori Thomas and Virginia Scott from last year’s squad, while the Lady Warriors will not have Danay Fothergill and Jessica Pierce returning for the 2011-2012 high school girls basketball season.
Thomas, who was Somerset’s lone senior last season, was the Lady Jumpers’ go-to player all-season long. Thomas averaged 8.5 points per game last year. Scott, who is not playing this season, was Somerset’s leading scorer in the 2010-2011 season, putting up 10 points per contest.
With the loss of Fothergill and Pierce to graduation, Southwestern is going to be young this season, to say the least. Fothergill, who is currently having some success for the Lady Hilltoppers at Western Kentucky University, averaged 22.3 points per game last season. Pierce, who is playing at Berea College this winter, chimed in with 11.3 points per contest.
As you can see, both Somerset and Southwestern lose a lot from the 2010-2011 season.
Just how young is Southwestern? Well, Tim Rice and company have just one upperclassmen on the entire roster in lone senior Hannah Grant. After Grant, the remainder of Southwestern’s roster is made up of underclassmen.
Freshmen Adison Corder and Destiny Molden, along with Grant, are the Lady Warriors’ three returning starters for the 2011-2012. The trio will all start in tonight’s match-up with Somerset.
Southwestern’s lead returning scorer is Corder, who put up 10.3 points a game as an eighth-grader a season ago. Molden is the Lady Warriors’ second leading returning scorer, as she averaged 6.5 points per game. You will see both ladies bring the ball up the floor tonight against the Lady Jumpers.
The other two remaining starters for Southwestern are eighth-grader Samantha Fitzgerald and freshman Brittany Combs, who each played some key minutes for coach Rice last year.
Somerset, meanwhile, is just the opposite, as the Lady Jumpers will have a trio of seniors - Mariko Krause, Cassie Bray, and Alyssa Anciro - in their starting line-up. In fact, a sophomore (Madison Brooks) is the youngest starter that Somerset will have in the first five this evening.
However, Somerset only returns a pair of starters from last year, so they are light on experience, too.
“We’ve got some kids that are seniors who haven’t started a varsity game yet, so I don’t know that experience will be a factor for us in this game,” explained the Somerset coach.
The Lady Jumpers’ leading scorer coming back this winter is Krause, who was second on the team in points per game last season with 9.5 per contest. Bray will also help out the Lady Jumpers this season, as she tallied 8.6 points per game a season ago.
Junior point guard Bethany Edwards, who is a two-year starter, will also be back for the Lady Jumpers, starting at the same position tonight against Southwestern. As a sophomore, Edwards averaged 5.4 points a game.
Brooks, who played big-time minutes a freshman, will look to have an even better sophomore campaign this season.
Southwestern, who went 24-8 last season, will host the Lady Jumpers in their season opener.
“This is not the ideal game for a season opener,” told Rice. “As everyone knows, these cross-town games have a way of being intense almost every year. I am glad to be playing a quality team such as Somerset to get a feeling about my team. Somerset has a lot of experience coming back this year and they will be a tough test for my young team, but win or lose I feel a coach gets some positive feedback playing good competition early in the season.”
As of late, Southwestern has ruled the series, winning three consecutive games over the Lady Jumpers.
In their two meetings last season, the Lady Warriors won both games by double digits, coming home with victories of 68-53 and 49-36.
The two squads split their regular season match-ups in the 2009-2010 season. In the December meeting, Adkins and crew came away with a 63-48 win over the ‘Blue and Orange.’ Southwestern began their three-game winning streak against Somerset with a buzzer-beater from Fothergill, who lifted the Lady Warriors to a 60-57 victory.
According to the Lady Jumper basketball coach, his team must take care of the basketball to pull-off a victory over Southwestern this evening. Turning the ball over was Somerset’s Achilles heel last season, so Adkins is hoping to begin the year on the right foot.
“Taking care of the basketball, we’ve got to take care of the basketball,” Adkins said. “We’ve also got to play aggressive on defense.”
Rice agrees with Adkins, as limiting turnovers will be the key for the ‘Blue and Orange.’
“I feel the keys to beating Somerset is to limit your turnovers against their press, be patient enough to get good looks versus their zone and of course make shots,” stated the Lady Warrior coach. “We must rebound the ball well and not give up second and third shots as Somerset does crash the boards on the offensive end. Also, we must control our emotions and not let the first game jitters get the best of us.”
“I feel in this first game as well as the rest of the season, we must make shots,” continued Rice. “In the past several years, we have been a team that could put a lot of points on the board. I feel this team will be the same way, as the season progresses. In judging our team this year, I think a person should watch our team in December and then again in February and hopefully we will have matured a little and improved a lot.”
This evening’s game will be the second game of the year for Somerset, as they hosted Garrard County last night at the Briar Patch.
Tonight’s cross-town clash will get underway at the Wigwam of Southwestern at 7:30 p.m.
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