GIRLS BASKETBALL: CORL fights off late charge from Du Quoin
Du Quoin fell behind by double digits early in Monday's game against Christ Our Rock Lutheran and despite making a couple of runs, never got closer than five down the rest of the ball game as the Silver Stallions escaped with a 52-46 victory at the Herrin Holiday Hoops Tournament.
Freshman post player Caroline Beohne gave the Lady Indians fits down low, particularly in the opening quarter of play when she scored ten of her fourteen points. An off night at the free throw line also hurt Du Quoin's chances.
"We didn't guard Beohne real well in the first quarter," said DHS head coach Shawn File. "We made some adjustments on her and kind of shut things down there a little bit. But in that first quarter we dug ourselves in a hole, free throws we were 10-of-26, you're not going to win ball games doing that. If you just make half of those that you missed, then you win the game."
Du Quoin's best opportunity to get within striking distance came too late in the ball game to make a real difference. Down 46-32 with 3:50 to play, the Lady Indians rallied for a 12-3 run to draw within five with just over a minute to go, but ran out of time before getting any closer.
"The pressure bothered them a little more late in the fourth quarter," File said, "got a little bit of helter skelter in them. Hindsight is always 20/20, maybe we should have opened the press on them a bit earlier."
"I'm proud of the way the girls battled all the way to the very end. Maybe if we get a couple more shots to go down, make a couple more free throws, maybe it's the opposite score."
Du Quoin was led in scoring by Kate Smith's 15 points. Alaina Caldwell (12), Tarynn Mays (8), Sadie Day (4), Grace Haney (4), Kat Robison (2) and Mackenzie Jackson (1) also scored for the Lady Indians.
Boehne and Sabrina Maschoff led CORL with 14 points apiece.
Du Quoin (4-11) will take on Pinckneyville (7-8) on the final day of the Herrin Holiday Hoops Tournament Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m.
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Sesser-Valier 56, Du Quoin 41 (Friday):</span>
The Lady Indians hung around for a while, trailing by only a bucket after the opening quarter, but Sesser-Valier poured it on with a 19-8 third quarter to pull away from Du Quoin 56-41.
Ten DHS players scored, but none reached double figures. Hannah Baxter led the Lady Indians with nine points, Mays and Haney each had six, Robison five, Day four, Caldwell three, and Smith, Jackson, Emily Born and Jordyn Bullar each had two.
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Herrin 51, Du Quoin 38 (Saturday):</span>
Herrin's defense shut Du Quoin down in the first half of Saturday's morning session game, as the Lady Tigers led 28-10 at the break in their 51-38 victory.
Again, ten Lady Indians scored and none reached double figures. Caldwell had eight, Smith and Mays five, Jackson, Robison and Bullar four, and Day, Born, Haney and Summer Tucker two.
Hannah Groutage had 20 points for Herrin to lead all scorers, all of them coming in the first three quarters.
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Du Quoin 46, Vienna 44 (Saturday):</span>
The Lady Indians picked up their fourth win of the season on Saturday evening, topping Vienna 46-44 after erasing a nine-point halftime deficit.
Haney had a dozen points to lead the way for DHS. Smith added eight, Day seven, Bullar five, Mays, Jackson and Robison four apiece, and Caldwell two.