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Lady Tigers visit, thrash Chicks
By Joe Warren
Nevada Daily Mail
Overcoming a slow start, the Nevada Lady Tigers dismantled the Pleasant Hill Chicks on the road Tuesday, 62-32.
The Lady Tigers could not hit the broad side of a barn in the first quarter, as they went scoreless until Hillary Adams hit a 3-pointer with 3:12 left in the period. In all, the Lady Tigers only scored seven points in the initial period, while they fell behind 11-7.
When Pleasant Hill's Bailey Hill scored to make it 13-7 to start the second quarter, it was like a light went off.
Suddenly the Lady Tigers were awakened.
Adams and teammate Lacy Leonard each scored eight points during a 23-0 run as the Lady Tigers turned a 13-7 deficit into a 30-13 lead.
The next time Pleasant Hill scored there was only 1:29 left in the half and they were no longer in the game.
The run was started when Nevada coach Brent Bartlett made a defensive adjustment, going to a half-court trap, which got the Lady Tigers running and the transition game going.
"We made a defensive change and Pleasant Hill didn't know how to handle it," Bartlett said. "It jump-started us."
The defensive pressure led to transition opportunities through turnovers, on which Nevada was able to capitalize.
"We got some easy shots and then started hitting some outside shots," Bartlett said.
The game was never in doubt after the run, as Adams scored 18 points, Leonard scored 16 points and the Nevada bench got heavily into the action.
By the fourth quarter Nevada was able to lift their starters and give all the depth some time on the court, and they actually extended the lead.
The win gave Nevada (16-3) their sixth victory in a row, and ended a five-game winning streak for Pleasant Hill.
Bartlett said the Nevada defense had just continued to get better, putting them in good shape as the season winds down toward the district tournament (Feb. 21-26).
"It has improved," Bartlett said. "The girls are buying into improving it."
Nevada got some time for all 11 players suited up for the varsity.
Nine different players scored. In addition to the two leading scorers, Afton Baldwin scored seven points, Amanda Wilson had six, Chanelle Braun scored four, Erica Klinksick had four, Lisa Pendrak had three, Jordan Webb and Katie Rice each had two points.
Nevada had 16 turnovers in the game, and they forced 17 Pleasant Hill turnovers.
The Lady Tigers will be back in action Thursday when they host El Dorado Springs.
The two teams met last week in the Lady Tiger Classic, with Nevada winning 59-41.
After only scoring seven points in the first period, Nevada scored 55 points in only three quarters.
The Nevada junior varsity also won, 54-30.
The JV was led by Tori Miller's 14 points as four girls were in double figures.