21 turnovers, 15 personal fouls contribute to Lady Archers’ 64-61 defeat
By: CHRISTIAN HARGAS
Sports Editor
The Lady Archers lost to Lindenwood University–Belleville JV, 64-61, on Nov. 10. They led 28-20 at halftime before being outscored 44-31 in the second half. It was the team’s first home game of the 2015-16 campaign.
“We let up defensively and had too many turnovers,” Lady Archers Head Coach Shelly Ethridge said.
The Lady Archers had 21 turnovers on offense.
“Every turnover is a lost chance to put points on the board,” Ethridge said. “We need to have better focus and discipline on the court.”
Despite losing, guard Shania Thornton scored 29 points, had 10 rebounds and three assists. Thornton scored 19 of her 29 total points in the first half with 10 in the second half.
“I guess I was trying to play as a team,” Thornton said. “I was trying to get everybody else to be on board with me and try to keep it going, so we can all win together.”
Thornton wanted to be more about the team in the second half, guard Sheena Bourne-Buckley said.
“We keep telling her that she is our scorer and she needs to score. She can pass the ball, but do not be so passive,” Bourne- Buckley said. “She was real passive in the second half and I tried to tell her that we need her to score.”
Thornton played well, but adjustments still need to be made, Ethridge said.
“She has been shooting well and is staying aggressive. This is what we knew she was capable of when we recruited her,” Ethridge said. “She will have to learn how to make adjustments as teams may adjust their game plans to try and stop her. I think she was trying to get her teammates involved as we have a deep team of several players who can contribute.”
Thornton’s performance was really good, Bourne-Buckley said.
“I try to set Shania up a lot of times on offense so she can do whatshedoesbecauseIknowshe is capable,” Bourne-Buckley said.
Forward/center LaShonda Brewer had one block in the fourth quarter. The Lady Archers believed they had the momentum at that point, Brewer said.
“I thought it [momentum] would carry over and that would help us win. But they [Lindenwood] got it and they won it,” Brewer said.
In the game of basketball, momentum can shift in a second, Ethridge said.
“We need to take advantage of those opportunities. As we grow as a team, we will learn how to capitalize on that better,” Ethridge said.
Forward Alfreda Roberts had four personal fouls during the game and the Lady Archers had a total of 15.
“We want our girls to be physical yet disciplined on the floor,” Ethridge said. “Players have to be careful when in foul trouble. It hurts us if we cannot have a contributor on the floor.”
It was a frustrating game, Ethridge said.
“We could have and should have played better. The girls were disappointed and upset, but we always stress to come away with a lesson after each game,” Ethridge said. “We will continue to play better and we will take some hits, but we will keep improving.”
Brewer agreed and said that feeling can draw the players closer to one another.
“It will really bring us together because nobody wants to lose,” Brewer said. “We all understand that feeling and we will bring each other together not just as a team but a family.”
Having such a young roster,the team chemistry is getting there but is not fully there yet, Thornton said.
“We are all just young, so we just make mistakes-Too many turnovers, missing easy baskets that we should have made and we just all need more discipline,” Thornton said.
Bourne-Buckley agreed.
“We need to improve with teamwork, getting better on defense and staying up the whole game and staying with each other,” Bourne-Buckley said. “We knew we were not playing so well and then we tried to pick it up, but we weren’t meshing like we usually do.”
Through four games, the Lady Archers are averaging 61 points per game.
That average is expected to increase as the season progresses, Ethridge said.
“I expect to see our offensive production increase as we continue to grow as individuals and as a team,” Ethridge said. “As the players start to gel more and get to know each other better on the court, we will have more and more players stepping up,” Ethridge said.
The Lady Archers were defeated 77-72 against Rend Lake on Nov. 14.
