BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The first-seeded Lady Tigers played in the semifinal game of the Mid-South Conference Tournament on Sunday. Campbellsville faced the fifth-seeded Freed-Hardeman and while both teams struggled mightily from the field, it was ultimately the Lady Tigers who fell to the Lady Lions, 47-41.
Campbellsville and Freed-Hardeman met twice this season, both occasions in which the Lady Tigers took the win. In their first match-up, Campbellsville won by 22 points over Freed-Hardeman. The Lady Tigers went 23-of-54 from the field (42.6%) and 9-of-23 from the three-point line (39.1%), while the Lady Lions went 22-of-56 from the field (39.3%) and 6-of-24 from the three-point line (25%). In their second game, the deficit at the horn shrunk as Campbellsville saw just an eight-point advantage over Freed-Hardeman.
The first quarter started with a
Courtney Pritchett three-point jump shot. Both teams' defense had each other shooting less than 35% from the field. Nine minutes into the first quarter, the Lady Tigers were down by two, but with just four seconds on the clock,
Sarah Sutton scored a three-pointer assisted by Pritchett, pushing the Lady Tigers forward. At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Tigers led the game, 14-13.
Starting the second oeriod,
Elizabeth Bertram stood at the free-throw line going one for two. At that point, the free shots were pivotal as Freed-Hardeman's defense had the Lady Tigers shooting only 25% from the field.
Kaitlynn Wilks and Pritchett toowent to the charity stripe each going two for two and one for two respectively. At the end of the second quarter, the Lady Tigers trailed the Lady Lions, 22-21.
As a result of the field goal percentage being paltry for both teams, the Lady Tigers and the Lady Lions couldn't separate from one another. Going into the second half, MSC Player of the Year Wilks led the team with eight points while MSC First-Teamer Pritchett was just behind her with four. Campbesllville shot 26.9% from the field and went 5-8 at the free throw line. Freed-Hardeman shot 32.3% from the field and went 1-3 at the free throw line.
The Lady Tigers scored the first basket of the third quarter, with a layup by Pritchett. The Lady Lions gained a bit of momentum converting key baskets in the painted area. As Freed-Hardeman led the game by four, Lee sank a three-point jumper that propelled the Lady Tigers closer to retaking the advantage. At the end of the third quarter though, the Lady Tigers were down by six points, 36-30.
Going into the fourth, the Lady Lions made the first basket of the last quarter.
Maddy Boyle connected on a much needed three-point jumper. Then, Wilks stood at the charity stripe going one for two. With only five minutes left on the clock, both teams saw the charity stripe on repeated occasions, with the scoreboard remaining tight throughout. Campbellsville had opportunities to convert from the field and from the line, but weren't able to make the most of their chances. The Lady Tigers fell to the Lady Lions, 47-41.
By the end of the game, the Lady Tigers finished 11-18 (61.1%) from the free-throw line while the Lady Lions shot 8-11 (72.7%). Those free points and turnovers proved to be the difference. Campbellsville had 11 turnovers and scored none from Freed-Hardeman's slip-ups, while the Lady Lions only had five and turned the 11 turnovers into 17 points. Campbellsville had one player in double digit points with Wilks with 13 points.
