By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The Lady Bearcats extended their win streak to 10 games on Thursday night at the Bearcat Event Center with a 73-27 shellacking of the Neelyville Lady Tigers. The Lady ‘Cats had four players in double-figures in the contest that included a 10 minute stretch of shutout basketball.


The Lady ‘Cats jumped out to a 21-8 lead after the first quarter, thanks in part to a pair of threes from Alison Jarrell and another trey from Erika Cobb, as well as an excellent defensive effort.

“I thought defensively we did a really good job tonight,” LBB head coach Chad Allen said. “The last time we played then, in the Christmas Tournament, we gave up quite a few more points, and I thought we did a much better job of putting pressure on them and not giving them any good looks.”

The Lady ‘Cats opened the contest in a man-to-man press instead of their usual matchup-zone press; the Tigers have been one of the few teams to figure out the Lady Bearcats’ zone press so far this season.

“I thought that really set the tone early, coming out in man in the full-court press. It really got us moving, and when we did go to the matchup, I thought we did really good in it as well,” Allen noted. “Overall, our girls were really active and really guarded well.”

Chelsie Kovach hit a deep three in the first minute of the second quarter, but it was the only offensive production for the rest of the first half by the Tigers. The Lady ‘Cats dominated the glass on both ends of the floor, and were able to tack on 16 more points in the second to take a 37-11 lead into the locker room.

Jarrell and Cobb were both good from downtown in the third quarter, while Paige Patterson dropped in seven points in the frame. Kayla Maupin dropped in a bucket at the 3:38 mark for the Lady Tigers’ first points in over 10 minutes, but the Lady Bearcats racked up a game-high 27 points in the third to take a 64-15 lead.

Maupin’s three point play was the highlight of the fourth quarter for the Tigers, as the Lady ‘Cats maintained a 30 point margin and kept the clock running throughout the frame. Hannah Noe buried a deep three at the 4:00 minute mark, and the Lady ‘Cats cruised to a 73-23 victory.

The Lady ‘Cats were dominant on the boards in the contest, with Paige Patterson hauling in a season-high 14 rebounds and Harris pulling down eight.

“We definitely got a lot of offensive boards - we didn’t stick them back in the hole by any means, and we missed a lot of easy shots,” Allen said. “But, our girls definitely did a good job on the boards.”


Dexter’s perimeter shooting was much-improved in the contest; as a team, the ‘Cats hit 55% of their shots from beyond the arc. Six of Cobb’s points were from downtown, while all nine of Jarrell’s came off the deep ball. Harris and Patterson both had solid games inside, with 14 and 11 respective points.

“We shot a whole lot better from the perimeter tonight, I think we were six of 11, which is a lot better than in the past few games. Of course, when you start hitting perimeter shots, it opens up the inside, and I thought when that happened Brittany and Paige did a really good job of posting up and wanting the ball.”

The Lady ‘Cats kick off a brutal stretch of road games on Monday (Jan . 16) at Naylor; LBB won’t touch their home court until Tuesday, Jan. 31, when they face Meadow Heights.

Tipoff for Monday’s game at Naylor is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.