Sports
Lady Bulldogs Snag Win On and Off the Court
By: Tony Heim
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The game seemed to be an after thought on a day dedicated to childhood cancer research; some members of the Athens Lady Bulldogs (2-12) had even been at the school since 9 a.m. helping setup for the Go Gold event.
However, the event did not deter the Lady Bulldogs’ focus from their game against the Point Pleasant Lady Knights. Athens cruised to 35-25 victory, marking the end of an eight-game losing streak for the team.
Senior guard Alexis McCollum stepped up for Athens with 12 points on 5 for 8 shooting, including 2 for 3 from behind the line. McCollum received two quick fouls in the first quarter, but Coach McNeal had more than enough trust in her to play the rest of the half.
“She is the piston to our engine,” Coach Paul McNeal said. “We rely on her a great deal to make things happen.”
Athens started the game with four straight buckets to pull out to a quick 9-2 lead; Point Pleasant never got within five points after the barrage of scoring.
Forward Kat Kreutel came off the bench and recorded six rebounds, including five boards in the first half. Kreutel will need to continue these types of performances as senior forward Claire DeBruin has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with her fifth concussion.
Senior forward Sophie Miller stuffed the stat sheet with DeBruin’s absence as well. Miller notched six points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals in an all-around effort for the Lady Bulldogs.
“I love to score, but I also kind of want to spread the wealth,” Miller said. “Not a lot of people on our team like to go in and score so I wanted to get other people some points.”
Turnovers were an issue for the Lady Knights, totaling 24 in the game. Eight were tallied on guard Peyton Campbell, simply because there was not much movement around her. Campbell finished with five points; forward Michaela Cottrill added another six points and seven rebounds for Point Pleasant.
The Lady Bulldogs look to build momentum as they travel to Wellston on Jan. 21.