Panthers Sink Vikings
J. C. Tilton
TVS has had a drought recently in the state tournament, luck of the draw, upsets, etc. It seems like the South team has found a way to get snake bit in the first round of the tournament. This year things would go differently. South got a good draw - New Miami, and they played strong from the first whistle to the last.
Dany Lipps got things going in the first quarter for the Panthers with an opening three point shot. She would connect 2 more times from downtown and Katie McCoy would work the post for 4 points on the way to a 17-6 first quarter lead. Defensively TVS would play man defense and mix in some full court pressure in the first quarter.
The second quarter was more of the same as Lipps would ring up a total of 14 half points and this time teammate Hayes would chime in with 6 more points in the paint. South had a decisive 15 point lead as they entered the locker room for the half.
The Panthers made a statement in the third quarter. South has had a knack for allowing teams to hang with them - not being able to run away with a lead. Not tonight. TVS allowed just 3 third quarter points and scored 19 themselves to blow open the game. Hayes did most of the scoring inside this quarter. In the 4th quarter, the team opened up the bench and gave everyone a chance at tournament floor time. The Panthers scored the first points of the game and Panther Kate Ervin scored the last basket as TVS won 58-25
Coach Robinson was asked about Dany Lipps: “We knew that they would double down low and so the guards would have to come out and shoot. We hit some early and that opened up the inside. We talked about making every second of every game count. And she came to play to night”.
Next she was asked about post play: “Brittany had an elbow injury at practice and every time she went to shoot her arm felt numb. But I think they were just trying too hard. We had the height inside and I think they felt that they felt that they could just throw it up and score. We talked at halftime about slowing down, focusing, you know shooting the ball and not just throwing it up. And she played real well for us”.
Finally on third quarter defense: “We did not want to give them any thought that they could hang around. The combination of Brittany stepping it up and us stepping it up defensively. Holding them to just one shot, if that”.
The first round jinx was gone - hopefully for a long time. Dany Lipps scored a game high and personal best 20 points. And TVS finally got their 10th win of the season. All in all a great night for the Panthers.
Scoring for TVS: Lipps 20, Brubaker 7, Stone 4, Hayes 15, Ervin 2, McCoy 8, Tilton 2.
The second round saw TVS facing seeded Franklin Monroe. The first game between the two was a blowout, but this second game South gave a better fight before finally falling 79-52.
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