Girls Score: Derby 57, Salina South 43
In a game controlled by Derby most of the way, the then unbeaten Cougars were still within striking distance of the Panthers most of the night. Derby started off strong, outscoring the Cougars 20-7 in the first quarter. Brooklyn Jordan for the Cougars went down with an injury early in the first quarter but was able to return to the court in the second quarter. However, her absence was felt as Derby was able gain a comfortable lead. When she returned, the Cougars were able to keep the game interesting cutting the Derby lead down more and more each quarter.
Though Derby would win with a 14-point advantage, the Cougars had cut the lead to single digits with 4 minutes left in the game. The Panthers would hit some timely shots in the final minutes and end South’s hopes for a comeback. For the Panthers, Macayla Askew had a commanding presence on the court ending the game with 16 points. She battled with Paityn Fritz of the Cougars a good portion of the night. Fritz would end the night with 19 points and was our Nex-Tech Wireless Player of the Game.
Turnovers were a problem for both teams as well. The ball ended up on the court often, with traveling and double dribble violations hurting both teams. Another aspect that hurt the Cougars was Tamia Cheeks picking up some early fouls in the game. Cheeks ended the game with 6 points and all were scored in the second half. Though being in foul trouble, she played well on the defensive end of the ball, earning our H&R Block of the Game honors.
The Cougars suffered their first loss of the season and are now 4-1 on the season. Derby improved to 3-1. Salina South will end the 2023 calendar year on the road at Maize on Tuesday, December 19th.
Nex-Tech Wireless Player of the Game: Paityn Fritz
H&R Block of the Game: Tamia Cheeks
Scoring by quarter:
Salina South: 7 / 9 / 12 / 15 = 43
Derby: 20 / 8 / 11 / 18 = 57
Boys Score: Derby 76, Salina South 20
The Cougars still without 2 starters struggled on the road against the Derby Panthers. Derby controlled the night as 6 different players scored from 3 for the Panthers. Salina South struggled shooting the basketball and was not able to get shots to fall. Derby outscored Salina South 22-8 in the first quarter and the game still seemed to be in reach for the Cougars. However, the second quarter was dominated by Derby. Derby scored 23 points in the second quarter and held the Cougars scoreless. Salina South was able to get some good open looks at the basket at times, but the shots were not able to fall. The halftime score was 45-8 with Derby in a commanding lead and they did not look back.
The full court pressure from Derby was difficult for the Cougars to handle. This pressure led to inadvertent passes and traveling violations that hurt Salina South. With the turnovers, Derby was quick in transition, leading to open looks at the basket. Dallas Metzer led the scoring for the Panthers with 14, with two other players for Derby in double figures. For the Cougars, Jace Humphrey and Sawyer Walker both had 5 points that led the team. With the game in hand in the fourth quarter a running clock was implemented, with many younger players seeing playing time including Easton Wilcox with a 3 point shot at the end of the contest.
Salina South dropped to 0-5 this season while the Derby Panthers improved to 2-2. The Cougars will end 2023 with a trip to Maize this coming Tuesday.
Nex-Tech Wireless Player of the Game: Jace Humphrey
H&R Block of the Game: Sawyer Walker
Scoring by quarter:
Salina South: 8 / 0 / 5 / 7 = 20
Derby: 22 / 23 / 26 / 5 = 76
