Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Wolverettes Stomp Lady Blue Jays

Like Thor wielding his enchanted hammer, Mjolnir, the Prescott Wolverettes struck.

They thundered to an 82-54 win over the Lady Blue Jays of Nevada High School, Monday, Nov. 23, to go 2-0 on the season, while handing the Lady Jays only their second loss of the year.

The game opened with a blistering pace as both teams sprinted up and down the court, battling for shots and working to slap the ball away from their opponent.

Prescott wasted no time in drawing first blood after the opening tip and took a 6-2 lead with 5:51 showing.

The Lady Jays played a tough, hard-nosed defense, but couldn't solve the riddle of Prescott's offensive attack.

Midway in the first quarter, with the Wolverettes leading 11-4, Prescott put on a shooting clinic, running the score to 21-11 at the 1:34 mark.

In the paint, it was a no-holds barred battle as both squads fought tooth and nail for each and every rebound.

Period one ended with Stacy Stockton popping one in from beyond the arc to give Prescott a 26-15 lead.

Period two was much the same as the first eight minutes. The Lady Jays and Wolverettes clawed, bit, scratched and scrambled for loose balls, rebounds and open shots.

Nevada cut the lead to 28-20 with 6:07 showing, which lead to a tighter Prescott defense.

The biggest problem the Lady Jays had was controlling the pace. The Wolverettes dominated in running the ball downcourt, pushing at every opportunity, while getting back on defense and making Nevada work for each shot.

With 3:55 left in the half, Prescott led 36-24. Both squads would add six points to their scores by the time the break rolled around.

Nevada's woes were compounded by the fact the Lady Jays had to closely guard all five Wolverettes, as Prescott launched a balanced scoring attack. In fact, four members of the Prescott crew finished in double figures, as did a like number for Nevada.

However, last year Prescott relied on scoring from three players primarily, with opposing teams focusing their defensive efforts on them.

This has not been the case so far in the 1998 season.

Nevada relies heavily on post player Ramona Evans, who scored 13 against Prescott. Shiheta Henry, Jackie House and Pam Young are also providing valuable offensive input.

Traci Graham opened the second half from downtown, with Nevada countering with a pair from the charity stripe.

At times, the Wolverettes got a bit carried away and turned the ball over.

In spite of the blistering pace of the game, there were relatively few fouls. Actually, both went to the line for 15 shots and each converted eight.

The refs let the girls play in spite of there being times it was so physical pads and helmets were needed.

The third quarter ended as did the first, with Stockton burying one from way outside.

Heading into the final eight minutes, Prescott led 60-45.

In spite of Nevada's best efforts, the Lady Jays simply couldn't keep pace with Prescott and the Wolverettes opened it up.

The Wolverettes went on a 10-0 run to put the game out of reach at 70-45 before finally slowing the pace.

No matter what Nevada did to try and stem the bleeding, Prescott kept the wounds open by firing away with deadly accuracy.

With 2:14 left in the game, Coach Bill Cossey took four starters out, while leading 80-49. The final starter left the game for Prescott with 1:24 showing.

Nevada's Coach Gloria Johnson substituted freely and frequently throughout the game.

Stockton ended the game with a game high 31, including a pair of treys. Jean Haynie was next with 16 points, followed by Graham and Andrea Cossey, each with 15. In addition, both Graham and Cossey found the bottom of the bucket three times from beyond the arc.

Evans led Nevada with 13, while Young stroked the nylon for an even dozen. Henry and House played string music to the tune of 10 each.

PRESCOTT 67

BLEVINS 48

The Blevins Lady Hornets felt the Wolverettes's sting, 67-48, Tuesday, Nov. 22, as they ran their record to 3-0.

The Wolverettes opened the game with a 22-13 lead after one, and led 39-23 at the half.

By the end of three, Prescott led 58-27 and substituted heavily in the final eight minutes.

Cossey paced the team with 21 points on the night, including four three-pointers. Graham followed with 19, and a trio of treys, while Stockton stroked the cords for 15 and a three.

Martin led Blevins with 20, while White contributed 12.

The Wolverettes were three of four at the line, while Blevins netted 10 of 15 free throws.