PRIDDY SCORES 20, HAZELWOOD RECORD’S DOUBLE-DOUBLE

By William / www.mcpherson-county-ks.com

LINDSBORG – The Lady Vikings of Smoky Valley picked up their second win of the young season on Tuesday when they held off a second half rally by Southeast of Saline to earn a six-point, 53-47, victory at home in Lindsborg.

Smoky Valley took a three-point first quarter lead and pushed it out to 13 points at 25-12 going into the halftime break before Southeast of Saline charged back in the third stanza and reduced the Lady Viking advantage to just four points. The Lady Vikings held up in the fourth quarter thanks to a lot of free throws to gain the final six-point win.

“What a game,” explained Lady Viking head coach Jason Drouillard. “I was ecstatic about our defense in the first half as we only allowed Southeast of Saline 12 points total. The girls did an excellent job buying into our defensive system, especially by taking away easy transition points. We swarmed to the ball and made it exceedingly difficult to score. Even though shots were not falling as much, I thought the girls did a respectable job of running through the offense and staying aggressive.”

Neither team shot well from the field as the Lady Vikings only connected on 29% of their attempts while Southeast of Saline only made 23%. Where Smoky Valley held a huge advantage was in the paint and on the free throw line as they recorded a whopping 48 rebounds, including 14 on the offensive end of the court while the Lady Trojans had 37 rebounds. At the charity stripe, the Lady Vikings made 36 trips and connected on 26 for a 72% completion rate compared to Southeast of Saline only taking 16 free throws and making 12.

Coach Drouillard continued his post-game reflections by adding, “Rebounding was a huge emphasis, and we did a much better job which made a significant difference in the game. We were prepared for a fun by the Lady Trojans, and they sure came out firing in the second half. They are a good ball club, so you have to give them some credit for stepping up and cutting the lead down to two points at one point in the third quarter.”

Senior Breanna Priddy had a big game for the Lady Vikings as she led the team by scoring for 20 points, much thanks to making 12-of-15 free throws. Priddy also grabbed seven rebounds and made a couple of steals on defense.

Smoky Valley scored a double-double from sophomore Adrian Hazelwood as she scored 13 points while leading the team in pulling down 13 rebounds as well plus dishing out four assists and blocking a shot.

While senior Abby Rose only put five points in the scorebook, she also proved valuable in the paint with nine rebounds while making a pair of steals as well.

Eight Lady Vikings put points in the scorebook and seven of them also recorded at least three rebounds.

Drouillard concluded his reflections by saying, “We were proud of the way our girls handled the adversity and never gave up the lead. We shot absolutely lights out from the free throw line, and I thought that was the difference in the game. It was great to see Breanna (Priddy) bounce back after a tough opening night and have a big night when we really needed that type of production. Although we had some girls really stand out, this win does not happen without the contribution of the whole team from top to bottom. The team is really beginning to get their identity figured out.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR the LADY VIKINGS?

Now 2-0 for the first week of the season, the Lady Vikings go on the road Friday to Concordia.

Southeast of Saline at SMOKY VALLEY LADY VIKINGS

SCORING:        1          2          3          4          FINAL

SE of Saline     8          4          17        18        47       

LADY VIKINGS 11        14        8          20        53       

TEAM STATS:              SE of Saline     LADY VIKINGS

Shooting                     14/60 (23%)    13/45 (29%)

3-Pointers                   7/37 (19%)      1/14 (7%)

Free Throws                12/16 (75%)    26/36 (72%)

Rebounds (Off/Def)    37 (13/24)       48 (14/34)

Assists                         7                      5

Turnovers                   12                    17

Steals                          9                      5

Blocked Shots             1                      2

Personal Fouls            27                    17

‘AREA TEAM’ INDIVIDUAL SCORING & STAT LEADERS:

Scoring (53 Total Points):  Breanna Priddy – 20; Adrian Hazelwood – 13; Abby Rose – 5; Tinley Scott – 4; Gracie Lambert – 4; Keira Mullen – 32; Katja Blanchat – 3; Karee Adam – 1.

Three-Pointers Made (1): Abby Rose – 1.

Rebound Leaders: Adrian Hazelwood – 13; Abby Rose – 9; Breanna Priddy – 7; Tinley Scott – 4; Gracie Lambert, Katja Blanchat – 3.

Assist Leader: Adrian Hazelwood – 4.

Leader in Steals: Breanna Priddy, Abby Rose – 2.

Leader in Blocked Shots: Adrian Hazelwood, Abby Rose – 1.