The Lady Cougar varsity basketball team has experienced an unusual season so far. After years of dominance in the area, injuries and other issues have hampered them as they work toward finding their rhythm before hitting the halfway point of the season.
“It’s tough to watch at times,” Lady Cougar Head Coach Scott Ratcliff said. “These girls know how to win, but they’ve been up against a lot of stuff this season. We haven’t played with the same starting five more than a game or two in a row all season because of injuries. Every year, the team has to find their identity before we get good. It’s taking us a little longer to find that identity this season.”
The Lady Cougars came into their road game in Princeton, West Virginia, Friday after suffering back-to-back losses to Floyd County and Patrick Henry. Pulaski County hadn’t lost a game to either of those teams in several seasons. They’ve also suffered a loss to Blacksburg, another first in several seasons, and two losses to Carroll County.
By the end of the night, tough defense and just enough scoring allowed the varsity squad to head home with a 50-41 victory, moving the team to 5-5 on the season.
The Tigers started the game with a 6-0 lead before Andi Ratcliff hit a free throw, followed by a basket by Hannah Keefer to cut the lead to 6-3. By the end of the quarter, Pulaski County led 17-15. The Tigers fought to retake the lead several times through the first quarter, but the Lady Cougars held a three-point lead, 27-24 heading into the halftime break.
Defense was the name of the game in the second half. The Tigers were held to just six points in the third quarter. Pulaski County added 10 to extend their lead to 37-30. The Lady Cougars outscored Princeton 13-11 in the fourth, earning the final score of 50-41.
Hannah Keefer, still recovering from a leg injury, led the Lady Cougars with a team high 12 points. Reese Nolan added eight points. Andi Ratcliff scored seven. Emma Ritter scored six and Taylor Goble added five. Jaden Lawson played an outstanding defensive game, but also added four points. Morgan Vest, Sophia Hanson, Morgan Price, and Destiny Duncan added two points each. Sydney Phibbs didn’t score, but she provided valuable defensive minutes for the team. Kenzlee Jones is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered in the Floyd County game but is hoping to return soon.
Maddie Stull led the Tigers with 14 points. Asia Collins added nine points and Kaylee Wright scored seven.
The JV game found the Lady Cougars in a cat fight for the first time in a while. Princeton battled hard against the undefeated Lady Cougars, but in the end the defensive effort from Pulaski County was simply too much.
The Lady Cougars led 12-8 after the first quarter and 26-18 at halftime. They extended their lead to 40-24 in the third before earning the 48-32 victory. The win moves their record to 9-0 on the season.
Ellie Russell led the Lady Cougars with 16 points. Palyn Sweet added 10 points. Dayonna Lewis scored eight. Ellie MacDonald scored six points. Lylah Minnick added four points. Olivia King and Payton Harper added two points each.
Laken Burner led the JV Tigers with nine points.
“We’re still a work in progress,” Coach Ratcliff said. “We need to keep getting healthy. Our seniors are doing a pretty good job of helping guide the team, but we need that one or two players that take charge. We need somebody that wants to have the ball when it matters the most. We’ve got several girls that can do that, we just need them to realize it. It’s still early in the season, but we’re nine games into this thing now. It’s time to get serious. We’ve got some tough games coming up real quick, and that bullseye is still on our back. Teams don’t care if we’ve got injured players. They just want to beat Pulaski County. They’ve taken it from us for a while now. If we don’t pick things up, some of those teams are going to get their paybacks.”
The Lady Cougars are scheduled to host Christiansburg Tuesday, January 9. They’ll travel to Abingdon Wednesday, January 10. Friday, January 12, the team will travel to Salem. JV action begins each night at 5:30 p.m., followed by the varsity contests.