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

LINDSBORG – The Smoky Valley girls continue to ride the hot hand to victory as Abby Rose made five three-pointers and scored 17 points in leading the Lady Vikings to a 17-point, 47-30, home court win over Hoisington on Tuesday.

The Lady Vikings jumped out to a 10-point, 12-2 lead by the end of the first quarter and held a solid 13-point, 25-13 advantage at the halftime break.

After Hoisington chipped five points off their lead in the third quarter, Smoky Valley came back and outscored the visitors by nine in the final eight minutes of play to gain the final 17-point victory.

“We got off to a great start in the first quarter and it certainly was important for us coming back from Christmas break,” noted Lady Viking head coach Jason Drouillard. “The girls did a fantastic job being disruptive early on the defensive end and were aggressive offensively. Hoisington got us out of rhythm by switching defenses frequently, so it was a challenge to keep a flow to our offense.”

Neither team shot well for the game as the Lady Vikings hit on just 34% of their shots while Hoisington hit only 24%, including a dismal one-for-eighteen from the three-point line. The Lady Vikings made nine-of-twenty-three three pointers led by the five made by Abby Rose.

Rose had a huge night as beyond her 17 points she also pulled down six rebounds and made three steals. Adrian Hazelwood and Keira Mullen chipped in with eight points each with Hazelwood also grabbing seven rebounds.

Breanna Priddy was the lady in the lane for Smoky Valley as she led the team with nine rebounds and four steals.

Coach Drouillard concluded his post-game reflection by adding, “Some early foul trouble also became a challenge for us, but I thought our reserves did an excellent job stepping up in key moments. We had a big night out of Abby (Rose). I was proud of the way the girls handled some adversity. Give Hoisington credit for never quitting and continuously fighting to stay in the game. It wasn’t pretty at times, but it’s important we never take winning for granted and enjoy the moment.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR “AREA TEAM”?

Now 5-1 for the season, the Lady Vikings have a week off before tangling with Halstead at home on Tuesday, January 11.

Hoisington at SMOKY VALLEY LADY VIKINGS

SCORING:        1          2          3          4          FINAL

Hoisington      2          10        13        5          30       

LADY VIKINGS 12        13        8          14        47       

TEAM STATS:              Hoisington      LADY VIKINGS

Shooting                     12/50 (24%)    16/47 (34%)

3-Pointers                   1/18 (6%)        9/23 (39%)

Free Throws                5/11 (46%)      6/11 (55%)

Rebounds (Off/Def)    33 (12/21)       36 (8/28)

Assists                         7                      13

Turnovers                   20                    20

Steals                          9                      15

Blocked Shots             0                      0

Personal Fouls            13                    15

SMOKY VALLEY LADY VIKINGS INDIVIDUAL SCORING & STAT LEADERS:

Scoring (47 Total Points): Abby Rose – 17; Adrian Hazelwood – 8; Keira Mullen – 8; Breanna Priddy – 6; Tinley Scott – 5; Gracie Lambert – 2; Katja Blanchat – 1.

Three-Pointers Made (9): Abby Rose – 5; Keira Mullen – 2; Adrian Hazelwood, Tinley Scott – 1.

Rebound Leaders: Breanna Priddy – 9; Adrian Hazelwood – 7; Abby Rose – 6; Gracie Lambert, Katja Blanchat – 3.

Assist Leader: Adrian Hazelwood, Keira Mullen – 2.

Leader in Steals: Breanna Priddy – 4; Abby Rose – 3; Gracie Lambert, Tinley Scott, Adrian Hazelwood – 2.

Leader in Blocked Shots: None