'We must play together'
Lady Cougars hand Lady Badgers second straight defeat
By JEREMY HEATH Staff Writer

Top left: Sophomore post Sarah Bishop snags a rebound against China Spring. Bishop would convert the rebound into a two-point basket in the Lady Badgers' 60-42 loss on Tuesday. Top right: Lampasas head girls' coach Mitzi Lancaster questions an official during the third quarter of the Lady Badgers' loss. Bottom right: Senior guard Casey O'Connor scrambles for a loose ball.

China Spring was more productive on the boards, on the perimeter and at the free-throw line at Bozarth-Fowler Gymnasium on Tuesday.

The result: A 60-42 win over the Lampasas girls.

Lampasas (1-2) will attempt to correct its deficiencies in those three areas at Peaster on Friday night.

"The girls must find a way to come together and play together," LHS head coach Mitzi Lancaster said. "We lacked a team effort tonight, but I have faith in the kids and that they will pull together and do what they know how to do."

CSHS 60, LHS 42

Records Lampasas is 1-2, China Spring is 2-1.

Impact

The Lady Badgers have dropped two straight after beating Hamilton to open the season.

PHOTOS BY GABE WOLF

Key Stat

The Lady Cougars connected on 17 of 25 free-throw attempts while Lampasas hit just 6 of 16.

Key Play

Early in the second period, China Spring's Karlyn Myers capped a seven-point China Spring run with a 3-pointer that put the Lady Cougars ahead 24-11.

Up Next

Lampasas at Peaster, today at 6:30

p.m.

China Spring, behind the physical inside play of post Cara Gorton and the outside shooting touch of guards Megan Rowe and Karlyn Meyers, scored 17 points from the stripe and 12 from beyond the arc.

Gorton was a force inside, translating a half-dozen offensive rebounds and efficient outside-in passes into a game-high 17 points. She also connected on 7 of 9 free throw attempts.

Lampasas connected on 6 of 16 freebies as a team.

Meyers and Rowe each connected on two 3-pointers in the first half. Lampasas registered two 3s in the game, one from guard Casey O'Connor and one from guard Michelle Benton.

LHS' inside-outside combination of post Latoscha Sherman and guard Jennifer Howard combined for 15 points on the night, but both players were streaky from the floor and never appeared to find a rhythm.

After the Lady Cougars extended a 17-11 first-period lead into a 33- 20 lead at the half, the Lady Badgers slowed the bleeding in the third.

Down 39-25 in the third quarter, the Lady Badgers went on a 10-4 run to pull within 43-33. Sophomore post Sarah Bishop scored six of those points with two putbacks after offensive boards and two free throws. The Lady Cougars snuffed the rally with two more buckets to close out the third with a 47-33 lead.

Benton scored four of her eight total points in the fourth quarter, and O'Connor and Bishop added three and two, respectively, but the Lady Cougars hit 8 of 13 free throws in the frame.

Game Note: China Spring point guard Kelli Richardson, who hit 7 of 8 free throws and finished with nine points, went down with a knee injury in the fourth quarter.