Sports
Lady Vikings Unable To Recover From Slow Start In Playoff Loss To Washington Court House
By: Noah Wolf
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With about 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Darian Radabaugh pulled up from behind the arc, the tenth time she had done so Thursday night.
Her shot missed, as it did the previous nine times.
Radabaugh’s lone point in the final game of her high school career came from the free-throw line as the Vinton County Lady Vikings fell to Washington Court House, 69-53 at Southeastern High School.
Radabaugh was not the only Lady Viking who struggled. Besides the top three scorers, each in double figures, no Lady Viking had more than two points.
Cassie and Morgan Bentley each had 19 points, Erin Jones contributed 12 points. The only other scorers for Vinton County were Radabaugh and Josie Ousley, who scored just two points Thursday night after scoring 30 points in her last two.
The Lady Vikings couldn’t seem to get shots to fall, shooting 16-57 (28%) from the field. They couldn’t have picked a worse night to go cold.
Shawna Conger led the Lady Blue Lions with 17 points. Bre Taylor had a near-perfect night, missing just four shots on her way to 14 points. Rayanna Burns contributed 12 points, and Hannah Haithcock had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Vinton County got off to a very slow start, as Washington Court House outscored them 15-1 to start the game and 19-6 in the first quarter overall.
Vinton County junior Belle Lambert went down holding her arm midway through the first quarter. She was carried out on a stretcher and transported to the hospital by ambulance. Rod Bentley said the injury was likely a dislocated shoulder, as well as a possibly broken collarbone.
Their woes continued into the second quarter, as they trailed by more than 20 points at halftime.
“We got down and we decided these kids have a lot of heart,” Vinton County head coach Rod Bentley said. “They turned it up a notch or two, they started playing harder. Maybe looking back on it, it could be my fault as a coach. Maybe we should’ve started pressing from the beginning with more energy.”
In the third quarter, the Lady Vikings were able to keep pace with the Lady Blue Lions as both teams scored 16 points. Vinton County outscored the Lady Blue Lions in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late.
Vinton County ends their season with a 22-2 record (12-0 Tri-Valley Conference). Washington Court House (22-3) moves on to face Sheridan in the district final next Wednesday at Southeastern HS.