Warriors Take Down Cougars
DANVILLE -- The North Putnam Cougars dropped to 0-2 on the season with their 46-24 loss to Danville Thursday night.
The Warriors took possession of the ball at the beginning of the game. The Lady Cougars came out looking confident and energetic but it just wasn't enough to keep the Warriors from taking control of the game. However, just because they didn't have control of the game, North Putnam didn't give up.
Leah Crosby was the first scorer for the Lady Cougars. She would go on to be the leading scorer for the Lady Cougars with 10 points.
The game became physical very quickly which lead to a battle from the free throw line. But free throws weren't going to save the Lady Cougars from the Warriors.
North Putnam tried to stop the Warrior offensive attack while trying to put points on their side of the board. The Lady Cougars were only able to score six points in the first quarter. Danville was able to take a 10 point lead over North Putnam before the end of the quarter with a score of 16-6.
During the second quarter, the Lady Cougars played much of the same basketball. However, this wasn't exactly a good thing for them because this play included many turnovers from missed passes, missed scoring opportunities, and miscommunication. A combination of these things only allowed them to score six points to bring the score to 26-12 in Danville's favor.
Sometimes when a coach has an opportunity to talk to his team and settle them down without distractions, the team comes out and plays with more energy. This wasn't the case for North Putnam.
After halftime, there were just as many turnovers and missed point opportunities that plagued the Lady Cougars. However, they didn't give up the fight. Many of North Putnam's players helped keep the game alive. Elsiana Crosby and Dakota Malayer were key players on defense by forcing turnovers while Taylor Alles and Leah Crosby were key on rebounds for the Lady Cougars.
Danville seemed to be able to hit every shot they put up. Liz Scott and Amy Kramer were two key players for the Warriors and helped them take a very commanding lead. The third quarter ended with Danville leading North Putnam 36-24. The fourth quarter wasn't any better for the Lady Cougars. Alles continued to dominate the rebounds for North Putnam. There continued to be more missed scoring opportunities and miscommunication.
With 1:40 left in the game, North Putnam cleared the bench and let the younger players have an opportunity to get more varsity experience. The Warriors continued to play with all pistons firing. Scott continued to score points that were a very valuable part of Danville's game plan. The game ended with Danville being victorious 46-24.
North Putnam's head coach, Kevin Smith was pleased with certain aspects of the Lady Cougars' game plan. "We rebounded very well, we played very physical tonight. However, we gave them 46 points and that's enough to win a game. We need to work on our ball handling and knocking down shots."
The Lady Cougars face North Montgomery at home next Tuesday at 6 pm.
At Danville
Danville -- 16 26 36 46
North Putnam -- 6 12 24 24
Individual Stats
Points -- L. Crosby 10, E. Crosby 5, McGaughey 5, Kumaran 2, Alles 2
Assists -- Malayer 2, McGaughey 2, E. Crosby 2
Rebounds -- Alles 13, L.Crosby 7, Malayer 3, Robinson 3, E. Crosby 2, McGaughey 3, Frye 1
JV Results
Danville 21
North Putnam 19
Next game -- The Lady Cougars face North Montgomery at home next Tuesday at 6 p.m.