Sports
Meigs Falls to Court House, Says Goodbye to Culture-Changing Senior Class
By: Nick Henthorn
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The Lady Marauders season is over following a 60-49 defeat to the Washington Court House Lady Blue Lions. Meigs will say goodbye to the most accomplished class of young women to pass through their school in decades. As individuals and as a team, the seven seniors that will be moving onto the next phase of their lives left a permenant mark on the Meigs Girls’ Basketball program, with a legacy that ended Thursday in the District Semi-Finals.
Meigs got off to a rough start and could never catch up, as the Lady Blue Lions led wire-to-wire thanks to a hefty rebound advantage and efficient interior offense. Center Hannah Haithcock dominated the game from the inside, totaling 22 points and 10 rebounds while wearing out whoever Meigs put in front of her. Meigs dug themselves into a hole early and trailed 21-6 after the first quarter of play.
Meigs had spurts of life, putting together quick runs thanks to a three point attack that had been a staple of their offense all season. They cashed in on nine triples, with Becca Pullins hitting three and Kassidy Betzing, Madison Fields, and Marissa Noble each making two. Betzing would lead the Lady Marauders in scoring with 15 points. However, Washington Court House never let up, and while Meigs got the lead down to four at one point in the second half, the Lady Blue Lions were able to stay in control thanks to all the extra possessions created from their work on the offensive glass.
Defensively, Washington Court House stayed locked in all game, keying in on their rotations and recovering to shooters quickly. Meigs found themselves in endless loops of driving and kicking due to the speed and quickness of the Lady Blue Lions.
While the basketball season is finished for the Lady Marauders, they can hold their heads up high thanks to the positive change they brought to the program.
“Our seven seniors really did a great job of getting the program started again,” Head Coach Jarrod Kasun said. “The last three years have been rough – hadn’t had a winning record those last three years. To get a sectional for the first time since 2000 is a great legacy that they’ve started.”
Meigs will now have to look to a new crop of Lady Marauders headed by Mallory Hawley, who burst onto the scene as a freshman, showing game changing defense and impressing her coach.
“Mallory is a solid player, as a freshman we asked her to do a lot of different things … She’s definitely gonna be a really good player,” Kasun said. “She still has a lot of work to do; gotta get stronger, gotta be able to finish in the lane … but hopefully we can just keep building on what we’ve got.”
What’s next for the Lady Marauders is yet to be determined, but for Washington Court House, they will try to survive and advance against the Vinton County Lady Vikings in the District Finals on Feb. 28.