Inside Feb. 14-20 Issue

The Lady Lakers (10-13, 3-3) hosted the Metcalfe County Lady Hornets (10-14) last Friday, defeating them 51-45, avenging an earlier loss this season.

Russell County was led by senior forward Ashley Franklin with 17 points and 12 rebounds in the victory. Guard LeeAnn Grider, a 7^th grader, had 16 points, making four three-point shots and had seven assists in the hard-fought victory.

Senior Michelle Copley had nine points in the victory while Kim Pierce had seven points. Lindsay Ramage also contributed two points to the Lady Laker win.

“I told our team in November that all I care about this first year is gradual improvement,” said Coach Craig Pippen. “If we improve our play each week of the season, we will get to where we want to be when it matters.”

Pippen said the Metcalfe win was another step forward for his basketball team. 

“We hoped to gain momentum going into post play by defeating a quality district opponent,” he said. “We will meet them for a third game in the district tournament to earn a right to play in the 4th Region Tournament at (WKU’s) Diddle Arena,” Pippen said. 

“The way I see it, we both have proven we are capable of beating each other on any given night,” he said. “The team that shows up and wants it more in district play will advance to Diddle Arena.  It's that simple.”

Pippen said Grider did an outstanding job coming in and taking advantage of open looks from the perimeter where she was 4 of 7 from behind the arc. He also lauded her playmaking ability and defense.

“I also though Kim Pierce did an outstanding job defending their best shooter,” he said. “Until she launched two 3's in the final minute, Kim held her to only 5 points.”

Pippen said his team is getting more effort from the bench and that he likes the “team attitude” his players are taking on. “It's not about me...it's about we,” he said. 

“It is a sign of maturity when they come together and develop an understanding of what individual sacrifice and hard work can do in a team setting,” he said. All that seems to matter to them right now is playing in post season play.”

Pippen said that kind of mind set is exactly what he was hoping to see from them at this point in the season.

Pippen said the area we need to improve on before they face Metcalfe a third time in the district tournament will be post defense and help defense off penetration. 

“We definitely need to get better at denying the ball into the post and recognizing situations where we need to step up and over and provide help. We have improved but to play championship basketball you need to be at your best defensively,” he said. “We still have a ways to go.”

The Lady Lakers have a tough four game schedule that will lead them to the district tournament. 

“With Adair Friday night and Green County and Allen County-Scottsville just around the corner, we definitely have our work cut out for us,” Pippen said. “We need to use these final four games as preparation to what really matters, a chance to play in Diddle Arena, something that hasn't happened since 1994 for the girl's basketball program.” 

Pippen said his team understands that they can do something this year that hasn't been done the past 13 years. 

“It's going to take a lot of hard work and focus, however, it is a goal I definitely think we are capable of reaching,” he said.