Things couldn’t have looked better for Scott’s girls basketball team Saturday.
The Eagles took an 18-17 lead over George Rogers Clark, the No. 4 team in the state according to MaxPreps.com, a little more than three minutes into the second quarter in their 10th Region semifinal at Mason County’s Fieldhouse.
Then … a whole lot of reality.
The Cardinals outscored the Eagles, 58-28, the rest of the way in a 75-46 wipeout.
GRC (25-7) meets Montgomery County, a 52-48 semifinal winner over Bishop Brossart, for the title at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Scott finished at 15-16. First-year coach Eric Pouncy seemed pleased, especially since the Lady Eagles were 12-19 a season ago.
“It’s better than we did last year,” Pouncy said. “We had a lot of close games that were probably two to five-point games that we lost there. But I think the biggest thing was, we competed for all 31 of those games.”
GRC overwhelmed Scott just about every way you could name.
There was, obviously, the scoring. Ciara Byars’ 21 points and seven rebounds led everyone, Anaya Chestnut was next with 13 points, and Kyleigh Stamper and University of Cincinnati commit Brianna Byars added 11 apiece.
The individual numbers were just the beginning. GRC shot 55% (24-of-43) from the field, out-rebounded the Lady Eagles, 30-26, converted 13 Scott turnovers into 19 points, and had 19 paint points to Scott’s three.
Scott’s best stretch came in the late in the first quarter. Senior Autumn Ponder scored six of her team-high 12 points on a pair of 3-pointers over the final 1:46 of the first and gave the Lady Eagles a 14-13 lead after eight minutes.
“The first half, we weren’t making shots,” GRC coach Robbie Graham said. “Our defensive rotations were very slow. They were able to get some open threes, and we were fouling way too much. We weren’t active defensively.”
Madelyn Wilson’s two free throws and Kaia Peterson’s bucket gave Scott the aforementioned 18-17 lead – which Ciara Byars erased with an and-1 three-point-play for a 20-19 lead.
Scott stayed close. Kaia Peterson’s basket made it 22-21 GRC with 3:32 before intermission, but the Cardinals unfurled a 12-5 run the rest of the half.
“It was a game of runs,” Pouncy said. “They’re the No. 4 team in the state, and I really think through the first three-and-a-half quarters, even until the end we gave it all we had.”
Maybe the Eagles felt good because they opened the third stanza with a 7-0 run to pull to within 34-33 a little more than two minutes into the third quarter.
Problem was, GRC uncorked an 18-2 run over the next 5:25. Ciara Byars had eight points to lead the charge.
Ponder is one of 10 seniors whose high school careers ended Saturday. The others: Ava Coleman, Raegan Scheper, Presley Grant, Kayla Overman, Wilson, Francheska DeLuna, Grace Braden and Kayla Peterson.
“It was definitely an improvement,” Ponder said of the 2022-23 season. “The program still has a long way to go, but I’m proud of my teammates for handling the adversity we had … We just tried to stick together.”
GRC 13 21 18 23 – 75
SCOTT 14 12 9 11 – 46
George Rogers Clark (75) — Stamper 11, Gay 7, C. Byars 21, Parker 2, Settles 3, Taylor 2, B.Byars 11, A. Chestnut 13, Tabor 3, Goodwin 2. 3-Pt. FG: 3. FT: 24-31.Fouls: 18.
Scott (46) — Ponder 12, Coleman 6, Turner 4, Overman 5, Kaia Peterson 8, Wilson 5, Kortney Peterson 6. 3-Pt. FG: 5. FT: 13-23. Fouls: 20
