By David Busman

 

AMERICUS – The Lady Panthers could not overcome a 15-0 run by the Carver Lady Tigers in the first quarter, and as a result, they lost their first region game of the season by the score of 69-51 last Friday night. One big factor that hurt Americus-Sumter in this game was the height advantage Carver had on the Lady Panthers. This allowed the Lady Tigers to control the glass and it gave them an advantage in rebounding. In addition to the height advantage problem, the Lady Panthers shot 5 for 15 (33%) from the foul line and committed numerous turnovers.

“We gave them too many scoring chances by not playing off the glass and getting the defensive rebounds”, Americus-Sumter Head Coach Sherri Harris said. “All the turnovers and missing the free throws hurt, but we were not shooting enough from the outside.”

The Lady Panthers scored the first three points of the game, but Carver went on a 15-0 run. Americus-Sumter was able to rally to cut the deficit to 10 points, but by halftime, the Lady Panthers trailed Carver 32-23.

Americus-Sumter started out strong to begin the second half, cutting Carver’s lead to five points. During the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers built a 48-38 lead. The taller Carver squad made it difficult for the Lady Panthers to shoot from the outside. The Lady Panthers tried to drive to the basket to generate points, but were denied by the much bigger Carver team. It was too much for the Lady Panthers to overcome, and Carver eventually pulled away, winning the game 69-51. The Lady Panthers had two players score in double figures. Jykiera Long led the Lady Panthers with 23 points and Brianna Pope scored 13. With the loss, the Lady Panthers fell to 14-2 overall and 4-1 in region play.