Gallery by Heather Belcher
Gardner – Summers County coach Chad Meador has been transparent in that for his team to win and the offense to work he’ll need a few points here and there from different players each night.
He got exactly what he needed Thursday in Gardner.
With all-stater Gracie Harvey limited to three points through the first three quarters, reserves Kaylee Jones and Cheyanne Smith combined to scored 13 of Summers’ 30 points through three quarters, helping the Lady Bobcats to a 55-49 against Class AAA PikeView.
The contributions were much needed with Summers’ starters accounting for the other 17 points.
“We had tremendous bench support with Kaylee and Cheyanne,” Meadow said. “They’ve bought into their roles on this team and that’s what a good team does – they buy into their roles, relish their roles and value their minutes. When they get in the basketball game they perform and they had an opportunity tonight, made the most of it and did a great job.”
Each point mattered in a game that was tied after each of the first three quarters with neither leading by more than four points during that span.
That was in part due to offensive struggles experienced by both teams. The host Panthers were 11 of 29 from the floor in the first three quarters while Summers was 10 of 33. In fact 15 of the total 60 points heading into the fourth came from the free throw line.
“That’s us,” PikeView coach Tracy Raban said. “We struggle offensively anyway. That’s our identity. I didn’t expect anything different honestly but our kids keep fighting. We strive on the defensive end of the floor and that’s what kept us in the ball game. I’m waiting for the day we get those few shots and knock them down and can be a possession changer here and there. We struggle offensively and we know it. I feel like if a few calls go our way or we drop a basket here and there it might go our way but Summers County played great which I knew they would. But I thought our kids stepped up and showed we belong.”
While the first three quarter were a slog, the fourth provided an offensive eruption with the Bobcats outscoring the hosts 25-19.
It started quickly when Haley Justice and Sullivan Pivont traded baskets before Riley Meadows and Pivont again did the same, knotting the game at 34.
When Summers extended its lead to 40-36 on a Harvey layup, Justice fired back again to make it 40-38 but Summers starter Avery Lilly found her stroke. After making the front end of a pair of free throws, teammate Abby Persinger grabbed the offensive board on the second, eventually kicking to Lilly who nailed the only 3 of the night for either team to push the Summers advantage to six.
It was a momentum swinging stretch for the sophomore who netted seven of her nine points in the final quarter.
“Avery Lilly played a tremendous basketball game,” Meador said. “This year she’s done a lot of the unsung hero type of things for this team. She guards 94 feet and played about 30 minutes tonight. She stepped up to the foul line and made two crucial free throws and kept us in the game.”
Harvey extended the lead to eight with a pair from the charity strip on the next possession before the Panthers twice slashed it back to six with buckets from Meadows and Cat Farmer.
“It think as the game went on we know we have Riley,” Raban said. “Other teams know we have Riley but we have other kids that are contributing. Jocelyn Hall, I told her it’s time for her to make a statement and make her name known and be involved in the offense. Cat’s shooting the ball more and Hannah Harden’s stepping up. It hurt having Brooke (Craft) on the bench tonight but I thought Haley Justice came in and did a great job. Getting kids more involved I think helped in the fourth quarter.”
Summers led by as many as nine points, cementing a win at the start of challenging stretch for the program.
Following Thursday’s win the Bobcats will host Mercer Christian on Saturday at the middle school and hit the road next week for back-to-back games against No. 1 Wyoming East and No. 2 Mingo Central, both of whom played each other in a 37-36 Mingo Central win Wednesday evening.
“We got to No. 1 and No. 2 or however you want to put it,” Meador said. “They’ll be the top two teams in the state of West Virginia for a reason. What a great game that was on Wednesday. But we’re going to take it one game at a time. Listen, PikeView, it’s hard to win over here. It’s hard to come by with a win over here. It was the PikeView curse for me for awhile but I thought our team played well enough to win. We showed some great poise.
“The place was loud and Tracy Raban does a great job. I think she’s one of the best in the business and I think you’re down 10-0 when you come over here. I respect her that much and she knows it. We’re good friends and I’m just glad to come out with the victory.”
Meadows led all scorers with 18 points, the only player to reach double figures for the Panthers. Harvey, Pivont and Persinger all scored 10 each for the Lady Bobcats with Harvey adding 10 rebounds as well.
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.ocm and follow on Twitter @tjack94
SC: 10 9 11 25 – 55
P: 10 9 11 19 – 49
Summers County
Liv Meador 3, Avery Lilly 9, Abby Persinger 10, Sullivan Pivot 10, Gracie Harvey 10, Cheyanne Smith 7, Kaylee Jones 6
PikeView
Hannah Harden 6, Brooke Craft 5, Cat Farmer 4, Haley Justice 7, Jocelyn Hall 9, Riley Meadows 18
3-point goals – SC: 1 (Lilly); PV: 0
