Lady Cougars fall to Western Boone, 62-30

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

THORNTOWN -- The North Putnam girls' basketball team suffered a tough loss on the road Tuesday night, falling to Western Boone 62-30.

In spite of the game's final point spread, Cougar coach Kevin Smith said the game was much closer until late.

"The score makes it seem out of hand, but up until the middle of the third quarter, it was a 10-to-12 point game," he said.

He added that it was the sort of game they could have been right back in with a bucket or two. Unfortunately for North (4-8, 1-0 WCC), the shots fell for the Stars (11-2, 2-1 Sagamore).

"Western Boone is a very good basketball team," Smith said. "The shoo the ball well and defend very well."

Shawna Johnston led the Cougars with 10 points. Her partner in the frontcourt, Taylor Alles, was next with seven.

"Shawna and Taylor, I can't say enough about them. They come to work every day," Smith said.

The Cougars continued to struggle in the backcourt, where they are averaging 24 turnovers per game. On Tuesday, they had 28.

However, as his guards gain experience, Smith gains hope.

"Our guard play is getting better," he said. "We're getting better at taking care of the ball. It's just a process."

The Cougars will have just their second WCC game on Friday. With a 1-0 record in the conference, Smith is upbeat about his team's chances in the WCC race.

"Any time you go into a conference game, it's not hard to get up to play for," Smith said. "I think our conference is wide open. A lot of team have a chance to win it."

The Cougars visit the Bulldogs at 6 p.m. Friday.

In junior varsity action, the Cougars fell to the Stars 34-23.

Paxton Stephenson led North with six points. Megan Robinson was just behind with five. Shelby Frye, Brianna Bryan and Ashlea Stigall each had four points.

"We got off to a slow start in the first half," said Cougar JV Coach Jonathan Shannon. "We really picked it up, but couldn't overcome the slow start."

The Cougar JV visit Monrovia at 6 p.m. Thursday.

At Western Boone

Varsity result

Western Boone 62, North Putnam 30

North Putnam -- Johnston 10, Alles 7, McGaughey5, E. Crosby 4, L. Crosby 2, Malayer 2

Next game -- North Putnam (4-8, 1-0 WCC) visits conference foe Monrovia at 6 p.m. Friday.

Junior varsity result

Western Boone 34, North Putnam 23

North Putnam -- Stephenson 6, Robinson 5, Frye 4, Bryan 4, Stigall 4

Next game -- North Putnam visits Monrovia at 6 p.m. Thursday.

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