TREMENDOUS FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Lady Jackets put away Newcastle early in blowout win
ALLY STEPHENSON, pictured in a game last season, was just one of several standouts in the Lady Jackets’ season-opening win last Tuesday. [Photo by Russell Stitt/www.stittsmugmug.com]
Kingfisher had a freshman and sophomore making their first career starts, had one starter on the bench with a knee injury and another starter playing limited minutes due to her own knee ailments and was playing a team that qualified for last year’s 4A state tournament.
And the Lady Jackets blew their doors off.
KHS quite literally dominated every phase of the game in an 80-19 season-opening victory Tuesday at the APB.
“I think we jumped on them early and they just gave up,” said KHS coach Gerrett Spears.
Indeed, KHS led 24-5 after a quarter and that preceded a 30-3 run in the second frame.
“We just never let up,” Spears said of his 11th-ranked team in 4A. “Even when we subbed, we kept pushing and doing our job.”
Leading the early flurry was sophomore Emily Myers, who had 16 first-half points.
She was starting for the first time, as was freshman Peyton Walker.
“They both have level heads and can pass and Emily has really become a scorer,” Spears said.
“But I think we are deep and have a lot of kids who can put the ball in the hole.”
That includes freshman Kate Henderson, who came off the bench to score all 11 of her points in the first half.
Walker scored three points, but added three rebounds, two assists and four steals.
They helped alleviate the absence of junior Ray Garner, who hopes to return soon from an injury suffered during a scrimmage.
Senior Britt Taylor, who aggravated a knee injury, had eight points and three steals in just 11 minutes.
Then there are mainstay starters Allison Green and Ally Stephenson.
Green scored 13 points while Stephenson “was all over the floor,” said Spears.
She scored nine points, but also had four offensive rebounds, two assist and four steals.
In all, KHS had 28 steals and forced 36 turnovers. The Lady Jackets scored 51 points off those turnovers.
Up 54-8 at half, the team cruised through the final two quarters.
Despite the lopsided win, Spears said there are areas of improvement, including lapses in transition defense as well as help defense in the post.
“We also didn’t execute well in our half-court sets, screening the wrong people and such,” he added. “But I think a lot of that was our youth.”