Sparta
The Whtie County Warriorettes took on the Ramsay Rams Saturday evening at the Sunshine Classic. Both the Warriorettes and the Rams advanced to the quarterfinals after winning earlier in the day. Ramsay gave White County fans some moments to be concerned, but the Warriorettes stuck to their game plan and gritted out some stressful minutes to come away with a 61-42 win.
The Rams opened scoring with a three-point shot, proving that the second game of the tournament for the Warriorettes was going to be more competitive than the first. However, White County was ready for the challenge. They answered with a two-point basket by Lakelyn Grasty and then a deep ball from Bella Winningham. Ashlyn Selby added one of two foul shots to put the Warriorettes up 6-3.
The Rams proved they weren’t going to just let the Warriorettes run away with this game like they had their early morning one. They responded by tying the game with a three-point basket and then taking the lead on an easy shot from the floor. However, White County responded with their signature defensive pressure led by Grasty and Gracie Clark disrupting plays and disrupting passes. The result is that the Warriorettes went up 23-13 by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter started with a sense of urgency from the Rams who turned up the defensive pressure. White County missed a few passes and struggled to find the basket or get offensive boards through the first two minutes of the second period. Instead, it was Ramsay who added a quick three points to the scoreboard to chip away at the White County lead.
The Warriorettes settled down, slowed down their offense, and began taking what the Rams were giving them. What they were giving was trips to the free throw line. More than halfway through the second quarter, White County had scored just six points in the period – all foul shots. Ramsay began to look frustrated, and the Warriorettes took advantage, pushing the lead to 15 as they headed to the locker room up 35-20.
White County started the third quarter with all five starters back in the game. They quickly set a trap for Ramsey and caused them to turn the ball over on their first possession of the half. However, the Warriorettes couldn’t convert, and, after a couple of missed attempts, the Rams pulled down a missed shot and ended up with the first points of the second half as they converted a pair of free throws.
White County struggled on the boards as the Rams continued to pull the ball down on both sides of the court. The repeated extra attempts and extra possessions allowed Ramsay to reduce the Warriorette lead to just five. Some extra fouls committed by the Warriorettes put Ramsay in the bonus as Clark and Kyra Fox both found themselves with four fouls to start the final eight minutes of play.
The fourth quarter started with both teams turning up the intensity as they battled for the right to stay in the winner’s bracket. Baskets and steals were traded, and Selby found herself with four fouls early in the period. But the Warriorettes methodically took control as the minutes ticked down, causing Ramsay to get too aggressive and get themselves into foul trouble. With less than four minutes left to play, White County pushed the lead back up to double digits. The Warriorettes confidence in their style of play began to shine and with it the ball kept falling through the hoop and the bounces went all White County’s way in the final minutes.
The 61-42 win keeps the Warriorettes in the winner’s bracket as they move to the semifinal round. With no games played on Sunday, White County will be back on the court again Monday at 5 p.m. CST.
White County scoring: Gracie Clark – 18, Lakelyn Grasty – 14, Kylie Norris – 12. Ashlyn Selby – 7, Bella Winningham – 5, Kyra Fox – 3, Teagan Angell - 2
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