January 26, 2008

 

                Wise, VA—The Lady Lions had been the hard-luck losers of some close ballgames heading into Saturday afternoon’s game at UVA-Wise. The Lady Cavaliers ended up receiving the brunt of the Lady Lions’ frustration, as Bryan Head Coach Jamy Bechler and his squad marched into Greear Gymnasium and defeated the Lady Cav’s on their home floor, 82-63.

                The win was a long time coming for the Lady Lions, who had lost 11 straight games over the last month of basketball. The streak ended in convincing fashion, as Bryan got one of its most balanced scoring attacks of the year with five Lady Lions scoring in double-digits., while holding the Lady Cavs to just 41% shooting on the night.  The win capped a season sweep of the Lady Cavs for Bryan, who will look to avenge an early season loss to another Lady Cavaliers’ team when Montreat College comes to Bryan on Wednesday evening.

                The Lady Lions got big nights from Katie Davis(20 pts, 8 RB), Courtney Swanson(16 Pts, 4 RB), Jessica Southern(12 Pts, 8 RB), Kaylin Carswell(11 Pts, 8 RB) and Amber Smith(12 Pts, 4 RB).It was Davis’ eighth 20-point game of the season, and her fourth straight double digit scoring performance. Davis continues to lead the Lady Lions in nearly every offensive category, while Amber Smith has made a big impact after joining the team once her commitment to the Lady Lion Volleyball Program was fulfilled. It was Smith’s fourth consecutive game in double digits for the Lady Lions.

                The Lady Lions’ dominance went far beyond the scoring column, as they out-rebounded UVA-Wise 39-23 and limited the Lady Cav’s to only 8 second chances on the offensive glass. It was another solid performance for the Lady Lions, who will look to continue the momentum as they head into Saturday evening’s contest at home in Summers Gymnasium.

                Coach Bechler was happy to get a win on the road and to get back in the “Win Column”: “It was great to finally get a win after playing so well lately but coming up short in those games.  With us losing our 4^th point guard (Keke Bean is expected to be back in uniform for the Bluefield game) since the start of the school year, Katie filled in admirably and had a great game with 9 assists and only 2 turnovers.  Courtney and Kaylin did a good job offensively.  Jessica Southern really controlled the offensive boards for us. She just battles, which is great for our shooters.  It gives them the confidence that even if they miss, she’ll have their back. “