Lady Panthers run away from North Hopkins

Posted 1/19/23

The Lady Panthers of Alba-Golden continued solid play by registering a 74-26 win last Tuesday at North Hopkins High School. After taking a quarter to adjust to the challenges presented by North Hopkins...

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Lady Panthers run away from North Hopkins

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The Lady Panthers of Alba-Golden continued solid play by registering a 74-26 win last Tuesday at North Hopkins High School. After taking a quarter to adjust to the challenges presented by North Hopkins, the Lady Panthers simply ran away with the game by using intense pressure and accurate shooting.

The North Hopkins side presented a unique challenge: they had plenty of size but were short on adept ball handlers. When settled in the offensive or defensive zones, they were formidable, however, they had to get into their sets.

Alba-Golden aimed to simply deny North Hopkins the structure they needed at each end of the court. 

Cacie Lennon demonstrated this clearly as she intercepted passes on the first two North Hopkins possessions and scored unchallenged lay-ups for the first two scores. 

The first quarter was a bit of a give and take, as each team was able to be productive within their own schemes.

North Hopkins’ length in their 1-3-1 zone initially frustrated the Panther offense. Down 10-8 in the last minute of the initial quarter, Alba-Golden went on an 8-point run to go to the quarter break leading 16-10. 

Alba-Golden began to break the game open in the second quarter when they started forcing consecutive turnovers by North Hopkins. The Lady Panthers outscored their opponents 18-7 to take control. 

Great ball movement and keen shooting highlighted the Lady Panthers before the half.  Seven players scored for Alba-Golden in the quarter in some of their best basketball of the year.

Once play resumed, North Hopkins was hit with a tsunami of turnovers. The Lady Panthers forced 25 North Hopkins turnovers in the third quarter, holding the hosts scoreless. Meanwhile, Alba-Golden rang up 29 points in the third quarter and 12 in the fourth. 

In addition to the ball handling skills of Lennon, Kayleigh Logan and Kamrin Wright, Lady Panthers Kalli Trimble, Erin Langston and Lainey Teel put in notable performances. Trimble had her shot ranged in, while Langston’s physical play created opportunities. 

The game also highlighted the steady, multi-faceted contributions of Lainey Teel. As the season has progressed, it has become obvious just how important the stability of Teel is to the Lady Panthers. 

With a four-game winning streak in district, the Lady Panthers are poised to challenge an undefeated Cooper side and make a play for the district lead. 

The Lady Panthers hosted Cooper last Friday, then traveled to Como-Pickton. They are at Boles Friday.