Girls Prep Basketball: Defensive Lady Indians Notch Fifth Victory
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[To gain its first non-tournament regular season win in almost two seasons, Du Quoin High School's Girls Basketball team turned quite defensive Thursday night.
The Lady Indians (5-2) used stifling defensive pressure to force 29 turnovers in a 47-34 victory over Harrisburg.
The win is the fifth for Du Quoin in seven starts as the visiting Lady Bulldogs fall to 1-4.
"I thought this was our best defensive game of the year," Lady Indians coach Shawn File said. "When Harrisburg made some runs at us, we were able to force a lot of turnovers. We also had several girls step up and hit some baskets down the stretch. Ashley Ward, Heather Cavins and Steffanie Gates had key points in the fourth quarter."
Despite serious foul issues, the Lady Indians managed to open a seven-point halftime lead after freshman post Rebekah Maddox (14 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks) scored the final six points of the half.
Du Quoin led 21-14 at the break and 31-26 as the fourth quarter began, but Harrisburg sliced the margin down to three by early in the final frame.
Baskets by Ward and Gates pushed the lead back to seven and Harrisburg could get no closer.
Keawna Anders, Ward, Maddox and Magen Edwards added key foul shots as the lead extended.
"This is a good win," File said. "We had balanced scoring and did a really great job of rebounding."
Gates and Cavins complimented Maddox's rebounding work with five boards each. Jessica Hirsch added four boards. Hirsch had three assists and Ward registered three steals.
Gates and Hirsch scored seven points apiece. Anders had six.
FIRST JAYVEE WIN
Rebounding from a slow start, Du Quoin's Junior Varsity squad ripped Harrisburg47-23 in Thursday's preliminary game.
A 33-4 second half blitz erased a five-point Harrisburg halftime lead.
All nine Lady Indians who dressed for the game scored, led by the 13-point effort of Magen Edwards. Nicole Jackson also reached double figures with 12. Cavins (seven) was the rebounding ace with Jackson handing out three assists and recording four steals.
"I'm very proud of the effort tonight," Lady Indians coach Jason James said. "We really came out and focused more on the defensive end and that really got us going on the offensive end."
Du Quoin 47, Harrisburg 34
Harrisburg 07 07 12 08-34
Du Quoin 09 12 10 16-47
HARRISBURG (1-4): Bundren 11, Berry 4, Sullivan 6, Hutchison 2, Twardoski 0, Piche 5, Morgan 2, Griffin 4. Totals 11 11-19 34.
Du QUOIN (5-2): Gates 7, Maddox 14, Ward 4, Hirsch 7, Jones 3, Anders 6, Cavins 4, Edwards 2, Johnson 0, Emling 0, Rice 0, Smith 0.
Totals 16 14-30 47.
THREE-POINTERS-Harrisburg 1 (Bundren), Du Quoin 1 (Hirsch). TEAM FOULS-Harrisburg 23, Du Quoin 18.