Cards Defense Too Much For Dogs

DAYTON -- The WP Lady Cardinals opened league play with a 38-23 victory over their rival team, the Dayton Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs outscored the Cardinals, 12-11, in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Cardinals 16-point halftime lead.

The Bulldogs' first-half beating began when WP's Dionna Baker grabbed the tipoff to set up the first Cardinal bucket.

It was a heated first quarter with the Cardinals quickly setting the pace of the game. The experience and quick hands of the Cardinals were too much for the Bulldogs, who struggled with maintaining possession of the ball.

Dayton's Courtney Fuller sparked some defense with a steal of her own, but the Bulldogs lost possession of the ball when a dish off to Nicole Lambert sailed out of bounds on the baseline.

The Cardinals' offense had yet to warm up, making a rookie mistake of letting the shot clock run out with 3:44 left on the clock with the score 2-1.

Dayton's McKayla Bickelhaupt got her hands on a Cardinal pass only to lose it back to the birds who got the ball to Kristin Potter, who started a 14-0 scoring run with a baseline jumper.

WP's Hailey Goenen's defensive hands were too much for Fuller, who lost the ball to Goenen for the first of many times in the night.

Goenen found Potter breaking to the basket and dished it off for two.

Another missed shot from the floor from the Bulldogs was rebounded by the Cardinals and they put two more on the board with a baseline bank shot from Kayla Huxoll.

The Cardinals began the second quarter with Krystal Harris putting five unanswered points to the board.

Potter took the next rebound off a missed Bulldog shot and dished the fast break to Baker down low for another two and a 16-1 Cardinal lead.

The Bulldogs had an opportunity to score from the line when Bickelhaupt was fouled by Harris, but she missed both shots, and the Bulldogs remained scoreless in the second quarter with 4:54 left.

The Cardinals' defense resembled that of a street ball team during the last few minutes of the half. The Bulldogs added four more to the board with free throws from Lambert and Shelby Smith.

Bickelhaupt caught the Cardinal defense sleeping on the job when she was left untouched on the perimeter and threw one up for two with 2:27 left in the half.

Lambert then took it to the hoop on the baseline for two.

WP's Potter answered with a bucket to light the board with a 25-9 Cardinal lead.

WP's Goenen got her hands on the next Bulldog inbound pass in the Cardinal key, but missed the bank shot and fouled Bickelhaupt on the rebound.\ par

Bickelhaupt went two for two from the line and the Bulldogs broke into double digits, but the Cardinals took the halftime lead into the locker room, 27-11.

Bickelhaupt began the second half scoring for the Bulldogs with back-to-back buckets. Smith added one more, but not before the Cardinals' Baker nailed a three-point shot for a 30-17 Cardinal lead.

The Cardinals suffered their third shot clock violation with 5:44 left in the third, but the Bulldogs struggled to capitalize and found themselves adding three more fouls to the books.

The Cardinals went two for four from the line before the fifth jump ball of the night ended the third quarter.

The Cardinals' defense kept the heat coming in the fourth, racking up a total of 23 steals before the night was over.

It was a see-saw of a fourth quarter with the Bulldogs scoring their six points in the first four minutes and the Cardinals scoring their six points in the final four minutes.

Baker led the Cardinals with 12 points 10 rebounds and three steals.

Potter scored eight points and grabbed six steals. Harris added another eight points and two steals while Ronnie Hulce threw up five points, grabbed 11 rebounds and snagged two steals.