A quick start pushed the momentum for the Racer girls Friday night in their winning effort against Cache, 44-40.
Head Coach Nichole Copeland said, “We finally got off to a great start after starting out slow in recent games. We leaned on our defense early to really set the pace of the game and it helped to get us going and jump out to that early lead.”
Led by that strong defense, and key players in key moments, the Racers survived a second half push by Cache to get the win.
Newcastle also had three players score in double figures.
“Cache, to their credit, never surrendered and didn’t make it easy on us, pushing back in the second half and forcing us to have to gut it out towards the end,” Copeland said. “There were lots and lots of positives to take out of this game, along with some crucial lessons, but this time we get to do so while enjoying a win.”
Newcastle led 32-18 at halftime, scoring 17 in the first period to Cache’s 8, and then 15 in the second period to Cache’s 10.
Third period scoring was much closer with the Racers scoring only 5 to their opponent’s 8. And Cache had 14 points in the fourth period to Newcastle’s 7.
Copeland said the Racers did enough to win the game, and that’s all that matters.
Freshman Reagan Greenroyd showed flashes of her potential, according to the coach, with 12 points on five of 11 field goals, 2 of 5 free throws, two rebounds, and one assist.
Copeland added that Greenroyd “was a beast defensively with five steals and one blocked shot.”
Senior Natalie Orr had 13 points with three rebounds. Junior Leah Bradley had 10 points, two rebounds and one steal. Freshman Bella Allen had two points, four rebounds, six assists, one steal, and no turnovers.
Newcastle was scheduled to play the Weatherford Eagles next on Tuesday night, but the weather may have played a factor in whether the game was held, or not. Because of the Newcastle Pacer print deadline, the outcome of this game could not be reported in this issue.
Copeland said this would be another matchup against a top five team for the Racers. She said it was another opportunity to go out and showcase what the team can do, all the while competing to the best of their ability against a talented team.
