Ady Gentry (23) battles Richland’s Kate Kirk on a loose ball during the second half of Thursday night’s District 10-A matchup. Gentry led the Lady ‘Dawgs with 15 points. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
CORNERSVILLE — In a rematch of last year’s District 10-A championship game, the Cornersville Lady ‘Dawgs (9-6, 0-1) hung close against Richland (12-2, 1-0) through much of the first half on Thursday night and rallied late to pull within seven, but in the end couldn’t overcome a lop-sided third frame in the 51-38 loss.
Early on, it was a defensive struggle, with both teams remaining deadlocked at nine in the closing seconds of the first quarter.
But with five seconds left, Richland’s Danny Lynn Galloway drew a foul and stepped to the line, where she sank both shots to give the Lady Raiders an 11-9 lead after the first eight minutes.
In the second, it was more of the same, with neither team gaining a substantial edge over the other.
Richland relied on timely 3-pointers by Shelby Higgins and Bailey Blair, while Lady ‘Dawg senior Ady Gentry did the bulk of her work off the block.
Emma Kate Dunivan settles in for a free throw in the second half. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
She led Cornersville with six of the team’s 10 total points in the quarter, including a pair of made free throws.
But Richland was still able to pad its lead to six points with 14 more in the second period for a 25-19 halftime lead.
Out of the halftime intermission however, things quickly spiraled in favor of the Lady Raiders.
The one-two punch of Higgins and Blair combined for 16 points, including four made 3-pointers to take off on an 18-7 run.
Against the Richland full-court defense, Cornersville struggled to move the ball and maintain possession.
As time continued to wind down into the fourth quarter, Richland’s lead shrank, thanks to the efforts of Gentry and Camille Franklin, who each scored four points and following a baseline jumper by Annemarie Cooper with 2:40 to go, the Lady ‘Dawgs closed the gap to within seven points.
But as through much of the game, Higgins answered and worked her way to the line, where she finished the game a perfect 4-of-4 in the fourth quarter to secure the win for Richland.
In total, Higgins led all scorers with 22 points, while Blair dumped in 17 more.
The two also combined for seven made treys—a stark contrast to the lone 3-pointer made by Cornersville, which came courtesy of Gentry in the first period.
Gentry was the lone Lady ‘Dawg in double figures as she scored 15 points to pace the hosts, while Franklin finished with eight points.
District play continues on Tuesday night for the Lady ‘Dawgs, who will host Santa Fe at 6 p.m.
Richland 11 14 18 8 — 51
Cornersville 9 10 7 12 — 38
Richland: Shelby Higgins 22, Bailey Blair 17, Danny Lynn Galloway 8, Mary Avery McNeese 4, Kate Kirk 2.
Cornersville: Ady Gentry 15, Camille Franklin 8, Abigail Finley 6, Summer Anthony 4 Emma Kate Dunivan 3, Annamarie Cooper 2.
3-Point goals: Richland (7): Higgins 4, Blair 3; Cornersville (1): Gentry.
Halftime score: Richland 25, Cornersville 19.
