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Posted: Wednesday, 12 December 2012 12:35AM

Early run, full-court press help Lady Tigers beat Buffalo



Byron Shive

stories@ky3.com

Buffalo, Mo. (For OzarksSportsZone.com)  -- Buffalo scored the first basket of its girls’ basketball matchup against local rival Skyline Tuesday night to take an early 2-0 lead. The Lady Tigers responded with a 16-0 run to take control of the game midway through the first quarter en route to a 63-43 triumph.

Skyline unleashed a devastating full-court press which forced the Lady Bison into repeated turnovers. Lady Tiger sharpshooter Alexa Beck handled the offense, as the junior poured in 10 first quarter points on her way to a game-high 25 to lead all scorers. Skyline led 22-12 at the end of the first and stretched the lead to 36-20 at halftime.
“We’ve been having trouble getting people to turn it over with our press,” said Skyline head coach Kevin Cheek. “We’ve been working on it. We executed well with what we were trying to run tonight.”

Buffalo staged several mini rallies, but could never get over the mental hump of cutting the lead to single digits. Morgan Henderson, the Lady Bison’s standout sophomore guard, kept Buffalo within striking distance for much of the second half while scoring 19 points to lead the Lady Bison.

“Jordan Henderson had a great game for them,” said Cheek. “We kept trying to keep track of where she was at, but she got away from us. Buffalo is a lot better. They’re going to win a lot of games.”

“They hit us in the mouth early,” said Buffalo head coach Eric DeRossett. “Skyline has a lot of tradition and they know how to finish these types of games. It’s not a new feeling for them. With a team like Skyline, they’re not gonna cave there. At those moments, I feel like you have to be really fundamentally sound. They’re going to make you make a mistake. Our kids will respond, though. They want to win. We’re a young team on the rise and this will be a learning experience for us.”

Beck hit six three-pointers for the game, while Madisen Brethower scored 12 points. Buffalo had several players who scored, but it did not give Henderson enough offensive help.

Filed Under :  
Topics : Buffalo, Skyline, Women's Basketball
People : Alexa Beck, Eric DeRossett, Jordan Henderson, Kevin Cheek, Madisen Brethower, Morgan Henderson
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