BASKETBALL: Steeleville sneaks past Lady Falcons

Elverado had their best chance at a victory thus far in the young 2014-15 season slip away against Steeleville on Friday night, as the Lady Warriors hung on for a 36-35 win in a back-and-forth ball game at the Lady Indians Tip-Off Classic in Du Quoin.

The Lady Falcons were down three points in the closing seconds with a chance to tie, but turned the ball over on the inbounds pass, allowing Steeleville to escape after making one of two free throws at the other end, which rendered Kylee Bedar's buzzer-beating three pointer meaningless.

"Those are things that we talk about in practice, late game situations," said EHS head coach Rasheeda Love. "This was the first late game situation that we have been in, which is great early in the season to learn how to execute off of those things. We talk about it all the time, how to prepare yourself for those things, but the actual carryover from practice to a game has not come yet."

Elverado led at the end of the first period 10-6, and the game was tied at the end of the second and third quarters.

Lady Falcons senior Cheyenne Abbadusky led EHS with 15 points, her second double-digit scoring performance in as many nights.

"Cheyenne has really stepped up," said Love, "she's playing like Cheyenne knows how to play. I think the first game she felt a lot of pressure, being a senior, playing in her last first game, and I think she allowed the pressure to kind of take her out of her game. After my assistant coach, Ernest Metcalf, sat down and talked with her, let her know who she is and what she's capable of doing, I felt like that was a great conversation he had with her. You could see it when she showed up the next game, she was Cheyenne."

Paige Newfarmer added 10 points, Bedar, Emma Bigham and Tori Ehlers each had 3, and Brooke Whittington had 1.

The Lady Falcons (0-3) will face unbeaten Murphysboro (3-0) in the 5:30 p.m. game on Monday at the Tip-Off, then return on Tuesday to face Woodlawn, also at 5:30.