(November 28, 2014) – MONTPELIER: The scoring for Montpelier came from an unexpected place.
The Lady Locos played host to North Central on Friday, and greeted them with tough play on the court. In a tough road environment, the Lady Eagles struggled to respond. The result was a 39-20 victory for the Locomotives.
Montpelier’s leading scorer for the contest was a bit of a surprise. Junior Hannah Blake, usually apt to claim that honor, totaled 8 points for the game. Baylee Hageman, a senior standout, produced 10 points, which is par the course for her. But it was Audrey Pirtle who took the role of lead scorer, putting up 12 points.
Pirtle’s efforts could bode well for the Locos. Blake and Hageman were the only two consistent scorers last season, something Head Coach Tim Nicely was hoping to amend with his current squad. If Pirtle can provide a third source of points for Montpelier, the team could be in for a strong year.
North Central spread their scoring out among five players, led by the dual 5 point efforts of Rachel Oxender and Alyssa Swank. Sophomore Makayla Hayes and Junior Cady VanDeVoorde each contributed 4 points to the Lady Eagle total, and senior Sabrina Pickford put up 2 points.
With 22 turnovers, North Central’s scoring was hindered by their inability to hold onto the ball. The team has enough talent to score more points, they just need to place more value on individual possessions. On the other end of the court, Montpelier managed to limit their turnovers to 11.
The free throw line was another area where the Eagles fell short. Only one player, Oxender, made it to the line for the duration of the game. However, she missed all 5 of her attempts, leaving North Central without a single point off of fouls. By contrast, the Lady Locos made 13 of their 16 attempts from the charity stripe, good for an 81% rate of accuracy.
Getting a handle on their turnover issue, as well as taking advantage of their trips to the free throw line will give North Central a much better chance to win games in the long term. Meanwhile, it looks as though Montpelier may have found exactly what they needed in this game.