"We just couldn't handle the pressure," Whiteoak head coach Steve Smith said. "We only have one true point guard and we also had too many turnovers in the first quarter."
    McClain junior Kate Hammond scored back-to-back baskets to start the season for the Lady Tigers.
    Whiteoak sophomore Haley Bingamon answered with  jumper to make the score 4-2.
    Leading by two, the Lady Tigers scored 10 unanswered points, starting with a jumper by senior Katie Wilkin with 6:35 remaining in the quarter. Wilkin's points were followed with a putback basket by senior Evann Gabriel, after she gained the rebound on a missed shot.
    Leading 8-2, McClain added to their lead with two free throws from junior Cortney Hyer. Junior Megan Saylor also hit a free throw and junior Shelby Buck drained a 3-pointer to make the score 14-2 with 4:08 remaining in the opening quarter.
    The scoring run by McClain was stopped with a jumper from Whiteoak sophomore Lori Bratton at the 3:22 mark.
    Whiteoak junior Emily Hargett cut McClain's lead to 14-6 with points in the paint, but the Lady Tigers answered with a layup from senior Samantha Crabtree.
    Senior Paige Ellis added to the Lady Tigers' advantage with a 3-pointer, followed with a jumper by Buck to end the first quarter.
    The Lady Tigers continued to pressure the young Lady 'Cats with a long jumper from Ellis. Buck also continued to produce points as she scored with inside points, followed with a 3-pointer, making the score 25-8 in the second quarter.
    MHS senior Lesley Faulconer gave the Lady Tigers a 20-point lead with two converted free throws. Her points were followed with another 3-pointer from Buck.
    Whiteoak continued to battle in the first half with Hargett scoring  inside points, while freshman Jessie Gilliland went around a defender, scoring on a layup.
    "They are a young team (Whiteoak) and they will experience some growing pains," McClain head coach Dennis Overstake said. "We started out with pressure and extended it to the floor. We have to do these things all year."
    Leading 38-14 at the start of the third, McClain continued to add points with  baskets by Wilkin and Saylor. But Whiteoak fought back with points from  juniors Sarah Smith and Kristen Seip. Whiteoak outscored MHS 12-7 in the third.
    "We played pretty well when the pressure was off and were down by 20," Smith said. "I told them we have to play good while the pressure is on during the game. We did get the ball in the post to (Emily) Hargett well. I was pleased with the JV players. They did some good things."

    MHS bounced back outscoring the Lady 'Cats 11-3 in the final quarter.
    Buck led all scorers with a game-high 16 points, draining four 3-pointers. Hargett led the Lady 'Cats with 11 points.
    "We struggled with defending (Emily) Hargett. She caused us some problems when we went out of the press," Overstake said.
    Whiteoak (0-1) will play again this morning, as they will travel to play Paint Valley at 10 a.m.
    "It's a building year, but we have to improve with each game as the year goes on," Smith said.
    McClain (1-0) will also travel to Paint Valley today, taking on Northwest at 3:15 in the Lady 'Cats Classic. On Tuesday the Lady Tigers will travel to face league rival Washington.
    "We missed a lot of easy shots inside that we should have made. We also need to improve on our boxing out and rebounding." Overstake said. "(Shelby) Buck came off the bench and had a nice game for us. She did a nice job."        In reserve action, the Lady Tigers defeated Whiteoak 33-21. Kate Crabtree led MHS with  17 points.WHS was led by Jessie Gilliland with eight points.   
     
GAME SUMMARY:

SCORE BY QUARTERS:
MHS — 21 17 7 11 — 56
WHS — 8 6 12 3 — 29

INDIVIDUAL STATS:
McCLAIN (56)
S.Crabtree 1 2-2 4, K.Wilkin 3 6, M.Saylor 3-4 3, E.Gabriel 1 2, C.Hyer 2 2-2 6, P.Ellis 1 (1) 5, K.Hammond 3 3-4 9, S.Buck 2 (4) 16, A.Taylor 1-4 1, L.Faulconer 1 2-2 4. TOTALS: 14 (5) 13-18 56.

WHITEOAK (29)
J.Gilliland 2 4, L.Bratton 1 2, K.Seip 1 2, A.Blair 1 2, H.Bingamon 2-4 2, L.Carson 1-2 1, B.Waits 1-2 1, B.Burns 1 2, S.Smith 1 2, E.Hargett 5 1-2 11. TOTALS: 12 (0) 5-10 29.


     

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