By: Landry Long | Co-Sports Editor
Behind an early charge and a hot shooting night, the Taylor women's basketball team came away from Spring Arbor with a commanding 74-61 victory over the Cougars. The team also reached an impressive milestone coming from head coach, Kelly Packard, who won her 100th career game.
"I thought that we executed our game plan well," said sophomore Cassidy Wyse. "We came out with a lot of energy, which allowed us to get an early lead. We shot really well throughout the game and stepped up when we needed to."
The Trojans saw double-digit figures from multiple players, including Wyse, freshman Kendall Bradbury, sophomore Josie Cobb, and freshman Aubrey Wright.
Bradbury led the team with a game-high 20 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Cobb sank 12 points while Wright contributed 11 points. Wyse had a strong comeback performance with 13 points, five assists and seven rebounds after being sidelined two games with an injury.
The Trojans shot a combined 52.8 percent from the floor and 50 percent from the three-point line. Taylor's defense held the Cougars to only 31.7 percent shooting.
Along with a stellar shooting night, Packard was pleased with her team's unselfish play and strong defensive effort."We had a tremendous shooting performance which included good ball movement and sharing the basketball," Packard said. "Our zone defense was also highly effective through three quarters."
Packard also acknowledged that despite a solid overall performance, the team's late game concentration still needs improvement.
In the final quarter of play, the Cougars poured in four three-pointers, resulting in a 22-7 run that cut the Trojans' lead to 12 with 1:25 remaining in the game.
As the season edges to an end, Wyse wants to make sure the team finishes the right way. The Trojans are focused on going out on a positive note, and providing a good final experience for the seniors.
"This season has been filled with a lot of ups and downs, but the relationships that have been built on and off the court make it all worth it," Wyse said. "We are looking forward to finishing the year strong, and making the last few games count for our two seniors, Taylor (Degenkolb) and Emma (Brattain)."
The Trojans' next tip off against Mount Vernon Nazarene is at home on Saturday. Basketball begins at 1 p.m.
Photograph by Fayth Glock
