by Malcolm Butler
Cedar Creek continued it’s onslaught of District 1-1A foes Friday night as the Lady Cougars (18-7, 4-0) ran past Lincoln Prep 50-11 at The Brickhouse.
The victory was Cedar Creek’s seventh straight and 15th in its last 16 games as the Lady Cougars margin of victory in it’s four league wins is 50 points.
Cedar Creek had little problem against Lincoln Prep (4-18, 2-2), racing out to a 26-0 lead at the end of the first quarter behind 15 points from Avery Ryan, who scored 13 straight points during a 3-minute stretch that saw the Lady Cougars push an 11-0 lead to 24-0.
Lady Cougar head coach Katie Hall said the toughest part of the past few weeks is keeping her team sharp.
“We are trying to keep these girls focused on the day to day, just getting better,” said Hall. “We don’t want to establish poor habits in the games that aren’t overly competitive. I’ve seen a little bit of that. We just keep reminding them of the bigger picture.”
The big picture begins Tuesday when the Lady Cougars travel to face Arcadia (18-6, 4-0) with the District 1-1A title on the line. It then moves into the postseason in a few weeks where Creek currently ranks No. 4 in the Select School Division IV power ratings.
“We just need to stay disciplined on defense,” said Hall. “That’s the biggest area of concern at times. I see a lot of reaching instead of making sure we are staying within our system and developing the right habits. We don’t want to become lazy and reach. In these types of games, you can get away with things that you can’t do come postseason.”
Britton Bennett started the second quarter with a corner three-pointer and Mary Grace Hawkins added a layup to push the lead to 31-0 before Kayla Ferguson knocked down a pair of free throws for the Lady Panthers first points. Ferguson led Lincoln Prep with six points, including 4-of-6 from the free throw line.
Hall was able to play her reserves for the majority of the second and fourth quarters, something she has been doing frequently in the one-sided victories.
“It gives (our bench) good quality time and reps so when they do get into the game they know what to do and how to execute,” said Hall. “I think we are ready for what’s next”
Sophia Mariano’s three-pointer with 2:40 to play in the second quarter gave Creek a 35-point lead (38-3) and initiated the running clock for the remainder of the contest.
The Lady Cougars led 50-7 after the third quarter before Lincoln Prep outscored them 4-0 in the final eight minutes.
Ryan led Creek with 19 points while Alivia Lee added 10 points.
Creek will host Plain Dealing Saturday at 4 p.m. at The Brickhouse.
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Creek 79, Haynesville 15 (Tuesday)
Avery Ryan scored 24 points, Mary Grace Hawkins added 12, Arlyn Boyet 12, and Caroline James 10 as the Lady Cougars routed Haynesville.
Alivia Lee added nine and Kennedy Hall seven as the Lady Cougars led 29-0 at the end of the first quarter.
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Creek 66, Ringgold 35 (Wednesday)
Avery Ryan scored 21 points and Mary Grace Hawkins added 18 points to lead Cedar Creek to the victory at Ringgold.
Caroline James added nine points and Mary Claire Temple scored eight as the Lady Cougars overcame a tough shooting night in the road win.
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Cedar Creek 59, Plain Dealing 23 (Saturday)
Mary Grace Hawkins scored 16 points and Avery Ryan added 15 points as the Lady Cougars won their eighth straight game with a 59-23 win over Plain Dealing at The Brickhouse.
Creek jumped out to a 24-7 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. The win sets up a district title clash Tuesday night at Arcadia.
Alivia Lee added 10 points and Caroline James netted eight.
