Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Wolverettes Defeat Fouke, Bismarck In 7AA Action

Fouke and Bismarck were the Prescott Wolverettes latest victims.

This brings the Prescott senior girls' record to 18-3 on the season, while they remain unblemished in 7-AA play.

However, the Wolverette's dominance in the conference has Coach Cecily Butler concerned.

Prescott has proven to be head and shoulders above the other teams in the league so far. In fact, she said Fouke's Lady Panthers have been one of the best offensive teams they've played to date. The Wolverettes won this game 60-43 Tuesday, Jan. 21.

Bismarck fell 57-44 Saturday, Jan. 25.

The easy wins have Butler concerned as the district and regional tournaments approach. Prescott's girls should be the No. 1 seed in the district, which will assure them a trip to the regional tourney in Fordyce, Feb 25 through March 1.

Butler is worried her charges won't be mentally prepared for the upcoming tournaments. "We need to get up for the district and regionals," she said. "We need to work on our execution and outside shot selection."

Though the Wolverettes are playing good, solid basketball, the team hasn't really been pushed all season, including the three losses.

Prescott has league games remaining against Fountain Lake (Jan. 31, here), Fouke (Feb. 4, there), and De Queen (Feb. 11, there).

The senior girls also have contests scheduled against Nevada (Feb. 7, at home) and Blevins (Feb. 14, there) to close the season.

The biggest challenge the Wolverettes face, Butler said, is staying up and ready to play, night in and night out.

In the Fouke contest, Prescott's offense was consistent throughout the game, while the team's defense did all it needed to do for the win.

The Wolverettes opened with a 12-8 lead in the first, pushing this to a 29-20 halftime advantage. By the end of three, Prescott was in charge 47-32.

Stacy Stockton did what she does best, forcing the action inside, as she scored 18 to lead the Wolverettes. Gladies Gulley had a solid 15 point outing, while Laura Culpepper contributed 12 in the win. Leslie Hines nailed two three-pointers as well. Culpepper pulled down eight boards, while Jessica Hildebrand added four assists.

Misty Farley led Fouke with 17 points.

The Wolverettes shined at the charity stripe as they netted 72 percent of their free throws (18 of 25) Fouke was a woeful four of 18.

Butler said the Wolverettes got in foul trouble early in the contest, which allowed the bench players some playing time.

She said her crew opened the game in their usual man-to-man defense, but were forced out in a hurry as Fouke had a good man offense.

The Bismarck game saw the Wolverettes move one game closer to a 20 win season with a 57-44 victory.

Again, the Prescott five played a solid offense and defense, but weren't pushed by the Lady Lions.

The Wolverettes opened with a 13-8 lead, and were in command 30-18 when the buzzer sounded ending the first half of play.

They added to their lead by the end of the third quarter, 45-29, and coasted in the final eight minutes.

Stockton again was the leading scorer for Prescott, adding 17 points to her season's tally. Gulley, who was seven of 10 from the field, scored 16 and had three assists. Hines remained deadly from long range as she netted a pair of treys.

Stockton also had three steals, while Gulley pulled down seven rebounds. Hines dished out four assists, with Culpepper stealing the ball twice and having six assists.

Jessica Wooten led Bismarck with 12.

The Wolverette free throw percentage was down in this game as they converted nine of 17. The Lady Lions shot 50 percent from the stripe, hitting 10 of 20.

Butler said the Wolverettes connected on 50 percent of their field goals in the game and played solid on both sides of the ball.

Still, though, she is concerned about the upcoming district tourney, which will be played in Nashville, and the regional battle.

To date, the Wolverettes are alone atop the 7AA conference. They are followed by Nashville, Bismarck, Fouke, De Queen, Fordyce and Fountain Lake.