Lady Pirates drop nail biter to Wolfe, 45-44

The improving Lady Pirates took on a familiar foe in the undefeated Wolfe County Lady Wolves on Saturday night in a showdown in Stanton. In a game that was a see-saw battle for most of the 32 minutes, the Lady Pirates overcame a six point deficit to push Wolfe to the limit. But despite the huge effort, Powell missed two open shots at the basket in the paint in the final five seconds. Wolfe hung on for a slim 45-44 win.
The Lady Pirates scored first and held the lead through the entire first quarter. Wolfe took their first lead at the 6:31 mark of the second frame, 16-15. But the home team regrouped and the back-and-forth battle began. The Lady Pirates held on to lead at the half, 22-20.
The momentum continued to swing back-and-forth in the third quarter, Wolfe grabbed a slim 38-35 lead. Powell almost tied it up before the quarter ended, but Bree Bush’s mid-court shot left her hand too late and went through the net, but it did not count.
Wolfe built a lead only to see Powell come back hard. With time running out, Powell missed two shots with just five seconds to play. Wolfe held on for a one point win, 45-44.
Powell’s defense played exceptionally well in shutting down the Lady Wolves top scorer in Haley Smith, who has been averaging nearly 30 points a game. Powell held Smith to just eight points in the contest. The Lady Pirates also matched Wolfe on the boards. Both teams picked up 32 rebounds in the game.
Powell was led by Kenna Neal who scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds on the night. Bush played the entire game scoring eight points and dishing out four assists. Mykyra Caudill added six points and Kanzas Stephens added five. Cloe Grater scored three points, but was a bulldog on the boards grabbing 12 rebounds. Presley Hall came off the bench to add two points.
​Powell’s record stands at 1-5.

​JC