Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Wolverettes Continue Wins Against Conference Foes

Prescott's Wolverettes continued their quest toward the elusive state title with convincing wins over Fouke and Nashville last week.

Tuesday, the Wolverettes demolished the Lady Panthers 50-29 in a game not as close as the score indicates.

This was the first time since early January for the Prescott teams to play in their home gym.

The Wolverettes opened the game in a 2-1-2 zone, smothering the ballhandler and generally confusing the Fouke players.

The Lady Panthers collapsed in the lane, trying to force Prescott to shoot from the outside. This is always a mistake.

For the first four and a half minutes, the game saw little scoring. Prescott led 7-0 with 3:32 showing.

Then, something happened. While Fouke tried to slow the game down, the Wolverettes exploded in scoring a quick 10 more points.

The Wolverettes used slick passing to offset the Fouke defensive pressure. Andrea Cossey and Traci Graham kept the Lady Panthers off balance with their passing, while Stacy Stockton drove to the goal like a linebacker on a blitz.

The Lady Panthers took shot after shot, finding nothing but air and iron. The first quarter ended with Prescott up 17-0.

The slaughter continued in the second period as the Wolverette attack was merciless.

Cossey opened the quarter with a trey as Fouke attempted to spread the floor. The Lady Panthers scored their first point at the 6:02 mark in the second.

The Wolverettes went into a scoring slump after the early three-pointer, but still were more than Fouke could handle.

There was one area Fouke was better in than Prescott fouling. When the Lady Panthers fouled a Prescott player, bruises were left, as Fouke was brutal.

Late in the second, however, the Wolverettes resumed their scoring attack with surgical precision as they sliced through the Fouke defense and took a 30-10 lead to the locker room at the break.

The Lady Panthers had no way of matching up with Prescott's quickness as the game entered the third period, though Fouke was more aggressive than the team had previously been.

It didn't matter, really, as Graham opened the second half with a trey and the Wolverettes hustled after the ball no matter where it was on the court.

Because of Prescott's defense, the Lady Panthers scoring came almost as much at the free throw line as the field.

The officials let the teams play, seldom calling a foul unless a bone protruded from the skin. This could bode well for the Wolverettes in the regional and state tournament as the refs tend to let the teams play harder than during the regular season.

With little scoring for the first five minutes of the period, the Wolverettes opened up late to run the score to 48-13.

The quarter ended with Stockton driving and nailing her shot at the buzzer, but being fouled in the process. To rub salt in Fouke's wound, she netted the free throw with no time showing.

Coach Bill Cossey cleared his bench in the final period, making sure all the girls saw some action. There was little scoring on Prescott's part in the frame, but the Wolverette lead was too much for Fouke to overcome.

Stockton led the Wolverette assault forces with 17 in the game, while Graham played string music for 13 more.

Amanda Crabtree led Fouke with eight.

The Wolverettes were 13 of 23 from the line, while Fouke was a pitiful four of 10.

PRESCOTT 67

NASHVILLE 50

During his playing days in the National Football League, Chicago's Mike Singletary had the best eyes on the league.

When an opposing quarterback looked across the line and saw Singletary's eyes, staring and focused, filled with raw desire to rend and destroy, fear was felt and mistakes soon followed.

Players wearing colors different than Prescott's maroon and white feel the same fear when looking into Graham's eyes during a game.

Graham enters each contest with the intensity of Singletary, daring her counterpart to try and get away with anything.

Of the "big three" for the Wolverettes, she has the "killer eyes."

Cossey, on the other hand, wears the same expression whether the team is up by 40 or down by three. Those playing opposite number 42 will be unable to read anything as she sets up beyond the arc and fires away.

The third of the trio, Stockton, has a tendency to wear an impish look as she takes great pleasure in decimating the other team in the paint.

Stockton's eyes flash with devilish glee, as she drives the lane while the opposition tries to guard Graham and Cossey.

The Lady Pumpkinheads of Nashville learned this the hard way as they were sent packing with a 17 point loss Friday night, 67-50.

The Wolverettes showed no mercy to the visiting Lady Scrappers as they raced to a 24-5 first quarter lead.

No Prescott team will make the mistake of being concerned with Nashville's feelings when the pumpkinheads are on the ropes.

The Wolverettes continued administering a sound thrashing in the second quarter as they ran the score up to 40-12 at the break.

Nashville stopped little during the game as the Wolverettes rolled from the opening tip to the final buzzer.

The third quarter ended with the Wolverettes firmly in control 55-27.

And, as he has a tendency to do, Coach Cossey cleared his bench in the final period to let everyone get some valuable playing time.

Though Nashville outscored Prescott 23-12 in the final eight minutes, it was too little, too late for the purple and black who went home black and blue.

Graham was unstoppable as she scored 25, including five three pointers in the game. Stockton didn't do too shabby herself, as she sank an even two dozen points, and nailed three from beyond the arc herself.

Anderson led Nashville with 12, while Dougan scored 11.

Kamori Scott pulled down six boards, while Cossey dished out nine assists. Graham added five assists and four steals to her statistics.

The Wolverettes weak spot was at the line as they were six of 14. Nashville was better at 13 of 25.

Prescott's victory over the much hated pumpkinheads was momentous as the Wolverettes 20th win of the season.

PRESCOTT 52

FOUKE 36

The Curley Wolves continued their winning ways as well last week, starting with a 52-36 win over the Panthers.

The Wolves opened with a 12-6 first quarter advantage, stretching this to a 28-13 halftime score.

Prescott's lack of hospitality continued in the second half as the Wolves increased their lead to 44-23 at the end of three.

Jason Morrow paved the way for the win with 17 points, while Scott Hobbs stroked the net for 10.

Black Crabtree led Fouke with 11.

The Wolves converted 11 of 21 free throws, while Fouke was six of 15 at the line.

PRESCOTT 70

NASHVILLE 52