Lady Cardinals Down But Not Out

DAYTON - The Waits­burg Prescott girls' basket­ball team struggled against Asotin in their first post- season game Tuesday night, falling 40-30 to the Panthers.

The lady Cardinals opened strong, matching the Panthers' height and speed to take the lead early on. The Cardinals came out ready to play with energy to boot.

That energy translated into points, as the Cardi­nals finished the first period ahead of the Panthers, 10-8.

The second period started slow, both teams struggling to hit the net and put points on the board. The Cardinals were confident but couldn't match the Panthers scoring, putting up only five points in the second period, stunt­ing their push against the Panthers.

Meanwhile, Asotin gar­nered momentum, hitting shots and stripping the ball away from the Cardinals to put up 16 points before the half, ending the second pe­riod 24-15, Panthers.

Both teams struggled to hit many of the shots they put up, turning the ball over with perpetual scoreless re­bounds. In the third period, the Panthers focused in and started to demonstrate more precision, while the Cardi­nals seemed to grow tired. But the Panthers were only able to put up five points in the third while the Cardi­nals put up six, ending the third with a score of 29-21, Asotin.

In the final period, the Panthers started to hit lon­ger and more difficult shots more easily, forging ahead of the Cardinals. But the Car­dinals weren't ready to be left in the dust. As the fourth period closed, the girls were still fighting for the ball and taking shots to keep them­selves on the board.

In the end, the Cardinals weren't able to close the score gap, falling 40-30 at the end of the game.

Head coach Jerry Baker said the Cardinals started off really well but couldn't match the Panthers' aggres­sion.

"In the first quarter I thought it was going to be a decent game," Baker said. "(But) we didn't play ag­gressively enough."

In the second and third period, there were a lot of turnovers, Baker said. Those turnovers slowed the Car­dinals down and hurt their ability to garner points.

But ultimately, the Cardi­nals will have another game and another shot at advanc­ing.

"We're still in it," Baker said.