by Malcolm Butler
Cedar Creek dropped its first game of the season Monday night, falling 46-32 at Sterlington.
After surrendering 20 points in the opening quarter, the Lady Cougars defense stiffened over the final three quarters, allowing the Panthers only 26 points the rest of the way. However, Creek never found an offensive rhythm.
“We struggled offensively putting the ball in the hole in the first half,” said head coach Katie Hall. “We did switch to a zone in the second half that helped with the momentum. We just had such a tough time scoring for much of the night.”
Junior Avery Ryan, a transfer from Benton who was ruled eligible by the LHSAA late last week, led the Lady Cougars in her debut with nine points despite battling foul trouble for much of the night and eventually fouling out.
“I saw a kid who has missed playing,” said Hall in regards to Ryan. “She loves it, and she was glad to be back out there. She had all the emotions tonight and was go happy to be out there. Her teammates were happy for her.
“She got into foul trouble early and that hurt us. I think we were ahead in the first quarter when I had to pull her out. It will take her a few games to get game acclimated.”
Sophomore Mary Grace Hawkins added eight points, including a pair of three-pointers.
Sterlington lost to 5A foes Ouachita (40-29) and Neville (34-24) in its first two games of the season. The Lady Cougars will face Bastrop today at 11 a.m. at Sterlington.
“I love playing these types of games, especially against a team like Sterlington,” said Hall. “They showed us a lot of toughness. We have to learn to match that toughness. They got to every 50-50 ball and they outrebounded us. These games gave us a marker of where we are and where we need to be.”
