Low offensive output marred the Newcastle Lady Racer’s game against Kingfisher on January 9. The Yellowjackets won the game, 26-14.
Coach Nichole Copeland said it was a defensive battle and an offensive struggle.
“We defended them extremely well, holding them to 27% shooting, but we only shot 13% (4 of 30) ourselves,” Copeland said. “We executed on the defensive end, and sometimes shots just don’t fall.”
Copeland said Newcastle came out of this game disappointed in the offensive side of the floor. She said Leah Bradley and Reagan Greenroyd are the team’s leading scorers and they were both held to no field goals.
“They combined for two points on the night — not exactly a recipe for success,” she said. “Kingfisher is not a team you can afford to fall behind on. Their guards are really good at handling the ball and offensively, no matter how well you guard them, they execute well and are patient. They can run one or two minutes off the clock with every offensive possession.
“They hammered us early with turnovers and easy buckets and that allowed them to jump up early on us. We could never recover. We just did not have it tonight in any aspect.”
Copeland said the Lady Racers pride themselves on competing, but they did not compete in this game.
Bella Allen had three points and six rebounds for Newcastle, and Ava Snider had six points, eight rebounds, and four blocks.
“Bella Allen flat out competed for 32 minutes, while it was a struggle for everybody else,” Copeland said. “Nobody fought like Bella. She’s a competitor, she fights, scratches and claws for everything no matter the situation, and she seemed like the only one on our team who did that.”
Newcastle played at home against Class 4A number 1-ranked Bethany on Tuesday. Copeland said it would be tough to match up with the Bronchos because they have three or four future D1 players on their roster. Nonetheless, the Lady Racers need to be prepared to compete for the entire 32 minutes.
