Girls Prep Basketball: Carterville slows down Du Quoin

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Carterville High School's girls basketball team controlled the tempo-and ultimately the scoreboard-against Du Quoin Tuesday night and left Anders Memorial Gymnasium with their 10th victory.

Bolting ahead 23-10 by halftime, the Lady Lions survived a late flurry by Du Quoin and pulled away to win by a 41-32 count.

Du Quoin, 9-9, fell back to the .500 mark and will host Benton Thursday night,

"Carterville controlled the tempo and it wasn't until the fourth quarter before we could speed the game up and bring up our intensity," Lady Indians coach Shawn File said.

Du Quoin had 10 points from Jessica Hirsch with Steffanie Gates adding nine points and Rebekah Maddox seven.

Trailing 31-15 as the final period began, the Lady Indians managed to pull within three points by late in the contest. Carterville, just 10-of-19 from the foul stripe, managed to hit just enough free throws down the stretch to hang on.

"I was very proud of the run we put on at the end of the game but it was too little and too late," File added. "We seem to be too complacent right. We need to be more consistent with our intensity."

Mollie Thomas (17) and Kelsea Ashton (13) of Carterville were the game's leading scorers.

In the junior varsity contest, the Lady Lions erased a five-point fourth quarter deficit and escaped town with a 37-34 win.

Du Quoin is 6-7.

"This was a good game," Lady Indians jayvee coach Jason James said. "We played hard but must play smarter down the stretch."

Heather Cavins had eight points and six rebounds. Nicole Jackson scored seven with Cassidy Rice and Ashley Ward each tossing in six.

Ward had four steals while Rice and Jackson both notched two assists.