The Carroll Lady Cougars defeated the Clinton Central Lady Bulldogs 38-30 Friday night in the Hoosierland TV Game of the Week.
It was a defensive chess match between conference and sectional foes.
Clinton Central struck first, taking a 6-0 lead.
“We wanted to hold the ball when we were up six to nothing,” Clinton Central coach Don Helmick said. “So there were some possessions that they got quicker in the first quarter.”
The Bulldogs’ offense had a handful of opportunities to push the lead, but couldn’t capitalize.
Carroll found their offensive rhythm midway through the first quarter as Jillian Salts knocked down a three to cut the lead in half, and then got a steal and scored to cut the lead to one. Salts finished with a team-high 11 points.
At the end of the first quarter, Clinton Central clung to an 11-10 lead.
In quarter two, the defenses found renewed energy as both teams struggled to knock down shots.
At halftime, Clinton Central led 18-13.
Carroll began to chip away in the third quarter by drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line. Clinton Central’s Emily Long got into early foul trouble and was forced to the bench for an extended period.
Olivia Schroder knocked down a three to cut the deficit to one, but Nuriah Harvey added a late bucket to give the Bulldogs a three-point lead after three.
The defense for Carroll was the story of the fourth quarter, holding Clinton Central to just two points.
“I think the biggest thing was just having versatility,” Carroll coach Brady Wiles said. “We probably played seven different styles of defense. With a player as good as Carly (Davison), you have to change things up. If you run the same play three or four times down the court, she’ll find a way to expose you.”
Bryleigh Springer came off the bench and was critical to Carroll’s success. On the defensive end, she was tasked with slowing down Davison, but her bigger impact came on offense, where she knocked down two three-pointers to give Carroll the lead.
Springer’s three were named the Solidarity Community Federal Credit Union Play of the Game.
Carroll was able to extend the lead with buckets from Eliza Rinehart and Salts and held off the Bulldogs to win 38-30.
Eliza Rinehart was named The Farmers Bank Player of the Game. She finished with 10 points and eight rebounds in the win.
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