by Malcolm Butler
Baby steps.
Although Cedar Creek fell 51-43 to Summerfield Thursday night at the Brickhouse, Lady Cougars head coach Katie Hall said she feels like her team is making progress.
Leah Sutherland scored 10 points and Caroline James added nine but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Cougars struggled to stop Summerfield’s Akeriah Jones who had a game-high 19 points for the visitors.
However Hall took some positives away from the final game before the Christmas break.
“I was really proud of our girls tonight,” said Hall. “I feel like we are taking some big steps compared to where we were at the beginning of the season. We are growing and learning a different style on both ends of the floor.”
Creek fell behind 14-8 at the end of the first quarter and 26-17 at halftime despite Olivia Underwood netting six points in the opening two quarters of play.
“I thought we handled their full court pressure,” said Hall. “We still have too many unforced turnovers, but I’m proud of where we are. I feel like early in the year we may have gotten blown out in this type of game.”
The Lady Cougars upped their offensive production in the second half, scoring 13 points in both the third and fourth quarters thanks to seven points each from James and Sutherland as the duo combined to hit three three-pointers after the halftime break.
“It was good to have Mallory (Smith) back on the court,” said Hall. “Caroline (James) had another good game for us handling their pressure.”
Underwood added eight points and Zoey Venters seven points in the loss.
