Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Wolverettes Defeated By Bradley In Finals Of Nashville Tournament

Prescott's Wolverettes have tasted defeat for the first time this season.

They were spanked 60-33 by the Lady Bears of Bradley in the finals of the Nashville Christmas Classic Tournament Wednesday, Dec. 29.

The loss drops the Wolverettes to 12-1 on the season.

Prescott got the initial tip, but Traci Graham missed a three-point shot with the Lady Bears snagging the rebound.

In the first couple of minutes of the game, neither team shot well. This quickly changed for Bradley, while the Wolverettes had problems scoring all night long.

The Lady Bears jumped to a 6-0 lead before the Wolverettes could get on the board at the 5:19 mark in the first quarter. This came on a Graham layin.

Bradley pushed its advantage to 11-4 before the Wolverettes began battling back.

Andrea Cossey had a Lady Bruin in her face throughout the game. This resulted in few shots and fewer good ones. In fact, Cossey was unable to score until the 2:53 point in the third quarter.

Jeania Haynie, though, moved her game to another level, taking the inside route to lead Prescott's offense with 18 points. She was also the only Wolverette to go to the line during the contest.

The Lady Bears were aggressive on both sides of the ball, physically moving the smaller Prescott players out of rebounding position and pulling down board after board.

Additionally, Bradley's girls used the midcourt and sidelines as extra players, forcing Prescott to turn the ball over an inordinate amount of times.

Period one came to an end with the Lady Bears up 15-10, as the Wolverettes would never lead in the game.

The second quarter was particularly ugly as Prescott only managed two points, this off a bucket by Graham with 1:36 left in the half.

Bradley's defense effectively combined zone and man coverage, with someone constantly in the face of Cossey and Graham.

Cossey also found herself in foul trouble, picking up her third with 6:44 showing. This resulted in a change of her defensive attack.

In the meantime, Bradley continued scoring, adding a dozen to its tally by the break which came with the score 27-12.

The second half saw no improvement for the Wolverettes as Bradley came out smoking.

However, Prescott's defense did pick up the pace in an attempt to slow Bradley's offense. But, the Lady Bears were patient and methodical, working the ball around for the best shot.

Another problem the Wolverettes had was Bradley was ready for Prescott's heralded passing attack.

With hands seemingly everywhere, the Lady Bruins picked off several of Cossey's and Graham's passes, converting the majority of them into points.

The third quarter ended with Bradley leading 41-21.

Prescott had a canyon to climb out of in the final eight minutes and was weighted down by Bradley's defensive pressure.

The Lady Bears were as methodical as a hired hit man, patiently stalking their quarry, learning their habits then going in for the kill.

As the game wound down, both coaches substituted heavily.

Haynie led Prescott with 18 points, while Cossey netted six and Graham scored four.

Misti Brown added a pair, as did Amanda Crow.

WOLVERETTES 77

LADYBACKS 49

In the semifinal game of the Nashville tourney, the Wolverettes showed why they are one of the top teams in the state by routing the Lady Razorbacks of Arkansas High 77-49.

Early on the Wolverettes could do no wrong as they ran out to a 29-13 first period score.

Cossey, Haynie and Graham were hitting on all cylinders both offensively and defensively.

The Ladybacks, on the other hand, weren't used to the type of ball played by Prescott.

The second quarter was more of the same as Cossey and Haynie continued to light it up from the field. These two combined for 58 of Prescott's 77 points, each scoring 29.

Nothing the Ladybacks did made much difference as the Wolverettes were too fast for Arkansas High's players.

The Wolverettes pressed the entire game, making life miserable for the Arkansas High crew.

In fact, the Ladybacks had fits crossing midcourt as the press resulted in turnover after turnover and bucket after bucket for Prescott.

Halftime arrived with the Wolverettes up 50-23.

The Wolverettes took a break in the third period, scoring only eight points, while the Ladybacks added 11 to their tally to make it 58-39 heading into the fourth quarter.

Prescott returned to form in the final eight minutes, dominating the Ladybacks on both sides of the court, outscoring them 19-10.

Prescott was three of five at the line, while Arkansas High hit its only free throw.

Graham added 14 to go along with the 29 each by Cossey and Haynie.

Tuciana Henry led the Ladybacks with 20, while Kayla McDoley added 13.

WOLVERETTES 69

LADY HORNETS 44

Prescott opened the Nashville tourney with a 69-44 win over Blevins.

The Wolverettes led 14-8 at the end of one and were up 31-18 at the break.

Period three saw the advantage climb to 55-26.

Cossey poured in 30 to lead all scorers. Graham was next with 16, with Haynie netting 13.

Jordan led Blevins with 14, with Martin contributing 11 in the loss.

Prescott hit six of seven free throws, with Blevins connecting on two of nine.

The Wolverettes will be on the road Tuesday, Jan. 11, as they return to conference play against Bismarck. They will return to the friendly confines on Friday, Jan. 14, when they host Nashville's Lady Scrappers.