Lady Blazers Take Down Jaguars
The John Wood Lady Blazers needed a win on Saturday, and it just so happened to come from a team that they lost to three weeks ago. The Lady Blazers traveled to Region 24 rival Danville Area Community College on Saturday for a 1:00pm contest, and came away with a hard fought victory.
John Wood started out hot and fast, opening a quick 10-to-4-point lead by the 6:48 mark in the first quarter. However, Danville would come storming back and in full force using a good zone that they implemented well. That zone allowed the Jaguars to be able to tie the score at 15-15 at the end of the 1st quarter.
The second quarter would be all John Wood as the Lady Blazers would take a 25-15 lead with 5:47 left in the first half, thanks to a free throw by Freshman Katey Flynn. Danville wouldn't go away however as they would cut the deficit to 29-25 in favor of John Wood at the 2:39 mark left in the 2nd half. However, a pair of clutch free throws again from Flynn would send the Lady Blazers into the half time locker room with a 31-25 lead over the Jaguars.
The second half would see the Jaguars fight back some and close the gap to just 37-32 at the 6:37 mark in the 3rd quarter. However, Coach Lauren Bogle and crew wouldn't take that just lying down. "Usually during this time teams can get complacent and lose the drive. We haven't, we are getting stronger and playing better every game, said Coach Bogle".
That would ring true as back to back jumpers from freshman Grace Deters and Amber Durst helped the Lady Blazers extend their lead to 41-36 with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. John Wood would continue to strike again at eh zone defense of the Jaguars and would come out with the 51-41 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter would be all John Wood as Coach Bogle and crew would use a solid combination of time and score, along with solid defense to walk away with a 67-53 victory on the road.
"We played great patient basketball, let the game come to us and didn't force up shots. Executed the game plan well, stayed aggressive at the rim to draw fouls, rebounded better, and held certain players and their team under their averages. We had way too much turnover. but we adjusted each time we made a mistake and didn't let a rushed decision drag us down. We moved in and stayed the course to get the Win as a whole!"
Defensively, we need to get better. "This past Wednesday, I think we had great defense, but it took a while in this game to get that same intensity. Each team is so different so just being able to move on from team to team defensively is key. We have got to be able to switch up assignments without missing a beat. If we can keep building defensively then I think we are a tough team to beat"!
The Lady Blazers will look to continue their winning streak as they host Lewis and Clark Community College on Wednesday at the Student Activity Center for 5:30pm contest.
Highlight Players:
Jada Dupree: 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals
Katey Flynn: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists
Alexis Pohlman: 15 points and 3 rebounds