By John Spargo
The Copper Basin Lady Cougars looked to keep moving on in the postseason as they hosted South Pittsburg Friday, February 24. Looking to wrap up a spot in the regional semi-finals, Copper Basin used a stifling defense and made quick work of the Lady Pirates 45-33.
Alexis Hyatt scored six of her ten points on the night in the first quarter to keep the Lady Cougars in striking distance. Brilee Harris, who led the Lady Cougars on the night with 16 points, scored two points and Sapporiah Ross added a free throw, but Basin found themselves down on the scoreboard, as the Lady Pirates led 12-9 headed to the second quarter.
Copper Basin surged ahead behind a stingy defense, holding South Pittsburg to five points in the second quarter. The offense found its rhythm as well, scoring 15 points to regain the lead for good, as Harris and Kendra Deal scored four points each. Riley Hall drilled a three-pointer for the Lady Cougars, and Ross knocked down a two-point bucket. Hyatt made two free throws as Basin went into the locker room with a 24-17 lead.
The third quarter saw the Lady Cougars add to their lead, as again, the defense throttled South Pittsburg, limiting them to four points. The Basin offense kept rolling however, led by Harris’s ten points, including two big three-point buckets. Ross added another bucket, and the Lady Cougars headed to the final period with a 36-21 lead.
Ross took over in the fourth quarter, scoring seven of her 12 points for the game, including knocking down three free throws down the stretch. Hyatt drained two free throws of her own as the Lady Cougars advanced to the region semi-finals, dominating the Lady Pirates over the final three quarters, and winning by a score of 45-33.
Scoring Summary:
1 2 3 4 - Final
SPHS 12 5 4 12 - 33
CBHS 9 15 12 9 - 45
Lady Cougars
Scoring:
Harris 16, Ross 12, Hyatt 10, Deal 4, R. Hall 3.