Lady Cougars see mixed results against Whitesville Trinity, Muhlenberg

The McLean County High School girls basketball team spent last week on the road with a win and a loss. The Lady Cougars traveled to Whitesville Trinity on Jan. 23 and brought home a 49-47 win. The team had a 58-39 loss at Muhlenberg County on Jan. 27.

The first quarter against the Lady Raiders last Monday ended with McLean County trailing by two and they were behind 28-25 at halftime. The Lady Cougars came out of the locker room on fire and jumped out front by seven to start the final quarter, hanging on to finish with a 49-47 win over Whitesville Trinity.

Sarah Miller had triple threes and led McLean with a total of 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Sarah Larkin was perfect from the line with 10 points, seven rebounds and the same in assists along with a block. Kashlynn Rice also had 10 points, three rebounds, seven steals, an assist and a block.

Rachel Schutte had six points, five boards and a steal while shooting 100% from the line. Kenadi Level had a three-pointer, a rebound and a block. Ava Lannum had a basket, two rebounds and an assist. Mallory Hampton had a bucket and a board. Katie McCoy had two points while Danielle Reynolds added a free throw, a rebound and an assist.

“We weren’t happy with the way we played the past couple of games and I’m just so proud of the ways these ladies responded,” shared head coach Ryan Groves. “They came out focused and ready to go from the start; that’s what you have to have if you want to compete. This truly was a team win.”

Sarah Larkin had her best all-around game of the season, according to Groves.

“We have been challenging her to score more and she really stepped it up tonight,” Groves said. “She also rebounded well and got the ball to her teammates in great positions to score. She ended up with 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. We’ll take that stat line from anyone, but to get it from one of our guards is huge.”

Groves said Kashlynn Rice had a good night on both ends of the floor.

“Not only did she get double figures as well, but she came up even bigger on the defensive end with seven steals and eight deflections,” Groves said. “She caused them a lot of problems with getting her hands on the ball and disrupting their offense. She’s one of our best defenders and when she plays like that it is infectious and makes everyone else want to play hard, too.”

Sarah Miller also had a big night offensively and on the boards, leading with 13 points while also having eight rebounds, shared Groves.

“She can put up those kinds of numbers on a nightly basis and as she continues to gain confidence the sky is the limit for her,” Groves said.

The Lady Cougars fell behind early at Muhlenberg County last Friday and were down 18-6 at the end of the first quarter. Both teams scored 10 points in the second period and the deficit remained the same at the half. The Lady Mustangs pulled away farther in the third quarter and ended the game with a 58-39 win over McLean.

Kashlynn Rice led with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal. Sarah Miller had a couple threes, four boards, an assist, a steal and a block. Mallory Hampton had a three with a total of five points and two rebounds. Anna Miller had the same in points along with a rebound and two blocks. Rachel Schutte also put up five points in the game.

Kenadi Level had four points, six boards, two steals, an assist and a block. Sarah Larkin had two points, a rebound, three assists and a steal. Bree Frailley had two points, six boards, three blocks, two assists and a steal.

The team is struggling with offensive consistency as well as aggressiveness and physicality on the defensive end, according to Groves. However, players returning from recent injuries will help the team with more strength on the inside moving forward.

“I’m proud of our team and our never give up mentality,” said Groves. “We just need to fine tune some things going into the post-season. We are very capable and can still compete for a district championship, and our girls truly believe that.”

The Lady Cougars will be at Daviess County tonight, Feb. 2, for a 7:30 p.m. game that was rescheduled from earlier in the week. McLean County will face off against Breckinridge County at the Owensboro Sportscenter on Feb. 3. The boys varsity Cougars will play at 6 p.m. followed by the girls’ varsity at 7:45 p.m.