Clarksville uses balance to defeat Elkins

ALMA -- The Clarksville Lady Panthers were able to find their rhythm on defense after a close first quarter to pull away Thursday at Charles B. Dyer Arena.

Senior forward K.K. Phillips came off the bench to score a game-high 12 points to help lead the way for Clarksville in the 52-33 victory against Elkins in a first-round matchup at the Airedale Classic.

Elkins was able to make 50 percent of its shots (5 of 10) in the first quarter but made just 13 percent (3 of 30) after that, which allowed Clarksville to take control of the game.

"We didn't come out ready to guard," Clarksville coach Randy Talley said. "We talked at halftime about getting off to a bad start defensively. We gave up open looks without having hands up. We did much better after that first quarter."

Elkins was led by senior Holli Krodell scoring a team-high 11 points, while senior Karsyn Ritchie added nine for the Lady Elks.

Clarksville senior Alysa Cummins came off the bench to add nine points, while senior Zoie Harvey also finished with nine.

Clarksville (13-3) was able to take an 18-15 lead after the initial quarter of the game with six players contributing points.

"That's been a blessing all year," Talley said. "When we look at the scoring, it will be a couple people with 10 and not a 20-point scorer. It helps us sharing the ball. We got girls that can knock down the threes, and we can go with double posts."

Elkins (8-6) was able to keep itself in the game early with Krodell scoring the Lady Elks' first 11 points.

The Lady Panthers were able to extend their lead heading into the break hitting outside shots and with their defensive effort.

Clarksville outscored Elkins 12-5 in the second quarter by making all its points behind the arc to take a 30-20 edge into halftime.

The Lady Elks missed five shots and had four turnovers before scoring their first point of the second quarter. Elkins finished one for 11 with seven turnovers in total for the quarter.

"If you are missing shots and giving them extra possessions, it will be hard to come back," Elkins coach Monica Wells said. "I was proud of the girls. We are missing some pieces out there, but we held our own out there."

Elkins didn't find much offensive success in the third quarter, being held to just two points while making one of 10 shots from the field. That allowed Clarksville to take a 38-22 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

After scoring seven points in the second and third quarters, Elkins put together an 11-point quarter to close out the game.

"We were able to start well then finish playing better," Wells said. "I can't say as a coach I have anything to complain about. We got the shots we wanted earlier, but they just weren't going in. Clarksville is a very good team."

Preps Sports on 12/28/2018