The Shadow
Down by 14 points at halftime to rival Alleghany on Saturday, Bath County girls basketball coach Keith Lindsay realized that his game plan for the second half needed serious adjustments.
“We needed to capitalize on the things that had been working for us all year. Good defense, easy baskets in transition, and to limit turnovers. We didn’t do enough of it in the first half but I think we came around in the second,” Lindsay said.
Anyone in attendance Saturday would have to agree. The Chargers (9-3) outscored Alleghany 37-24 in the final two quarters, avenging an earlier loss in the season with a 51-48 win.
Alleghany coach Danny Keene summed up the loss in few words. “Turnovers. If you can’t handle the ball, you can’t win.”
The Mountaineers (2-11) got off to a quick start, jumping out to a 10-3 lead on a basket by Allishya Ayers with 3:45 left in the quarter. An Angela Herscher three-pointer brought the Chargers back to within six (14-8), but Kirsten Burton knocked down a short jumper with six seconds left to make the score 16-8 Alleghany heading into the second.
Bath County’s offense again struggled in the second period, managing only six points compared to Alleghany’s 12. Mariana Keener buried a 3-ball with 5:25 left in the half to make the score 23-8, but Charger point guard Allison Sharp answered with one of her own at the 3:52 mark. By the time the buzzer sounded at the half, the Mountaineers had extended their lead to 14, at 28-14.
The Chargers switched over to a full court press in the third quarter and the problems began for Alleghany. After not committing a single turnover in the first half, the number rocketed to 20 in the final two quarters for the hosts. Herscher led the Bath offense with 10 points, six of which were scored on traditional 3-point plays. Shonique Gardener capped off the quarter with a basket to cut Alleghany’s lead to five, at 37-32.
Gardener proved to be huge for Bath down the stretch, scoring eight points in the final period. A Sharp free throw at the 3:01 mark tied the game at 43-all, and the Chargers took their first lead since the first quarter after a Gardener stickback with 2:16 left. Ayers tied the game again after a stickback of her own with 1:46 remaining but the Mountaineer offense proceeded to stall for the remainder of the game.
Gardener gave Bath the lead once more, this time for good, after another basket from the paint and the Chargers led 47-45 with 1:26 left.
Sharp then made three consecutive visits to the free throw line, going 4-6 and assuring the Chargers of a win. Esther Allman made a three for the Mountaineers at the buzzer, making the final 51-48 in favor of the Chargers.
Herscher, who led all scorers with 19 points, said the win was a good way to finish off an even better week for her team. “This was our third tough game this week and we have to consider this a big win. It feels good to beat these guys and it should give us some confidence heading into the rest of our district games,” Herscher said.
Alleghany will return to the court tonight when they host Parry McCluer. Bath County will be back in action on Tuesday when they host Craig County. Both contests begin with the junior varsity action at 6 p.m.
