FORDYCE - With three sophomore starters, Parkers Chapel’s girls were supposed to be a year away from the postseason. Apparently the young Lady Trojans aren’t very good at remembering dates.
Parkers Chapel beat Hampton 63-49 Wednesday in the district tournament. With the win, the Lady Trojans improved to 14-15 and, more importantly, punched their ticket into next week’s regional.
“It feels great. These girls have worked hard all year long. It’s always nice to see it rewarded,” said PC coach Justin Welch. “We played real well tonight. The girls played hard. They left it out there on the court. That makes me proud. We’re going to make mistakes. We just work through it. I thought we had big games. I couldn’t name (just one) person. It seemed like everybody was hitting shots. They were shooting it with a lot of confidence and I’m proud of them.”
Drue Thomas, T.K. Burson, Taylor Fortune and Ali Looney combined to score 60 of the team’s 63 points.
Thomas, a sophomore, scored 18 points with seven rebounds. She converted on 10-of-11 at the free throw line. Burson, the lone senior starter, scored 15 points and was 5-of-6 at the line. Fortune, a sophomore, scored 14 with six boards. Looney, another 10th grader, added 13 points.
The sixth-seeded Lady Trojans got off to a hot start from the perimeter. But, it was a 21-6 first-half run that gave PC a stranglehold on the game. The run, which began midway in the first quarter, turned a 3-point deficit into a 12-point lead late in the second.
“That was huge,” said Welch. “That just changes your whole mentality of the game, not having to claw your way back into it. I tell the girls all the time, get ahead, stay ahead. It makes your life a lot easier. And, it forced (Hampton) to do some things they really didn’t want to.”
Trailing 12-9 with 2:53 left in the first, Burson tied the game with a three-point play. Looney followed with a 3-pointer from the corner. Hampton’s Shelby Belin hit a jumper but Burson and Fortune popped back-to-back 3-pointers to push PC’s advantage to 21-14 early in the second.
Cameron Partain hit a 3-pointer for the Lady Bulldogs. But, the Lady Trojans retaliated with a 9-1 spurt, punctuated by Thomas’ three-point play for a 30-18 lead with 3:37 remaining in the half.
PC built a 40-25 cushion with a 10-1 run in the third. Hampton pulled to within seven before Fortune closed the third with her third 3-pointer.
The fourth quarter was a foul-fest. At one point, PC drained eight free throws in a row to stifle any hopes Hampton (11-16) had at a rally.
Partain led the Lady Bulldogs with 17 points with Belin adding 14.
Parkers Chapel, which played No. 2 Spring Hill in the semifinals on Thursday, will look forward to next week’s regional tournament, hosted by Junction City.
“It always takes a burden off your shoulder to qualify and extend your season,” said Welch. “With this group, I really think they’re just having fun, right now. They’re smiling. When you have good enthusiasm, it always helps.”