By Stephen Smoot
The Tigers of Union made the trek off of the mountain and brought feistiness and fight to the matchup with Pendleton County, but went away wanting at the hands of the Wildcats.
Union took the opening tip. They injected energy into this game, seeking to knock off a Pendleton County squad that keeps getting better and is still far from its ceiling of potential. Only 22 seconds into the game, they lofted a three-point shot and by the end of the first minute of the game had taken a 5-1 advantage.
The Wildcats seized control soon after, however. Jameigh Miller grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in. Then Avery Townsend executed the first of several coast-to-coast drives for layup scores to tie the game with 6:30 left in the first quarter. A minute and 10 seconds later, Townsend on a fast break pulled up Larry Bird-style from 17 feet to drain a deep shot and give her team the lead.
The display did not end there. Townsend hit a three ball from the corner pocket at the 4:20 mark on a possession she started with a steal. The Wildcats now held a 10-5 lead.
Union worked to stay in the game for a time on sheer hustle and determination. With 21 seconds left in the quarter, they hit a layup to close their gap to a 15-12 deficit. Then Julia Mongold countered with a three-point shot with eight seconds left.
Pendleton County went into a man press defense after that shot and forced a turnover, getting the ball back with less than a second remaining. Off the inbound pass, Townsend quickly hoisted up a shot that became Union’s petard, knocking down another three-point shot. In a handful of seconds, the Wildcats had turned a tight game into a solid 21-12 lead.
In the second quarter, the Wildcats used the momentum gained in those backbreaking 20 seconds to take command of the game. As in other recent wins, they moved between a three-two zone to pressure outside shooters and a man-to-man defense to challenge offensive players more directly. In this game, Donnie Kopp, head coach, seemed to use the man defense to establish a tone, then backed off into the zone when the Wildcats surged.
Kopp also substituted liberally early. Freshman Katie Heavner has emerged as a third reliable post option along with Miller and Susan Vincell, rebounding strongly, playing solid defense, and contributing points. A minute and 30 into the second quarter, she grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to extend her team’s lead to 26-14.
The Pendleton County defense clamped down tightly and produced a near perfect quarter of play. Townsend, Vincell, Jenna Smith, Jessica Parker, and Lexy Tingler all played roles in forcing turnovers to keep Union off-kilter. Parker over and over again turned contests over loose balls into rugby scrums with sheer hustle, diving into piles of players on the floor to extend possessions.
Union scored the first basket of the second quarter, a layup. They did not score again until 1:17 left in the first half. Meanwhile, the home team entered halftime with a solid 34-16 lead.
The Tigers tried to once again break free and roll back the Wildcat lead in the third. As in the first two quarters, they scored the first basket. Coaches had them once again focused on taking the game to the Wildcats, but Kopp once again called for a full court man press that took the wind from Union’s sails.
Stingy defense kept fueling the potent offense. Vincell made a post move to score a layup. Miller stole a pass, then found Townsend for a layup. The next score came when Miller herself launched a three, scored it, and put the lead at 41-18.
As soon as the Wildcats shut down the brief Union surge, Kopp pulled the press and went back to a more passive zone.
Pendleton County players continued to give high energy. Mongold sprinted to track down a loose ball, turned to drive and shoot and got fouled in the process, hitting both free throws. Later in the quarter, Miller flipped a nifty pass from the right post to Heavner on the left. She hit the short shot and extended her team’s advantage to 47-18.
For most of the fourth quarter, Townsend turned over her point guard duties to Smith, then Shayne Clutter. Clutter ran the offense capably in much of the fourth and pulled in an offensive rebound as well. Chesnee Colaw battled for rebounds underneath, collecting an offensive rebound and a layup at the 3:14 mark.
Not long after Kiera Heavner pulled in a steal.
With just over a minute left, Pendleton County went into a four corners set to run time off the clock. Colaw with 20 seconds left capped scoring with a soft arcing 10 foot shot to put the final score at 56-27.
The Wildcat defense only allowed a total of six points between the end of the first quarter and the start of the fourth while scoring 26 of their own. They have used these “shut down” quarters to great effect in recent weeks to pull ahead and win games over teams like Class AA Frankfort and also Pocahontas County, who defeated the Wildcats in December.