The final buzzer was no friend to the Lady Titans in their matchup against the Lawrence North Lady Wildcats on December 2. The Lady Titans met the Lady Wildcats on a neutral battlefield, Evansville North High School. The Titans lost to the Wildcats, 66-63, by a game-winning three-pointer from the Wildcats’ Kya Hurt. Although the Titans lost, they competed the whole game against a top team in the state, currently ranked third in Indiana on MaxPreps.
“It never feels good to lose, but it does feel good to be able to compete with a team that is one of the top teams in Indy,” junior point guard Gabby Spink said. “By us playing how we played against them, I feel it showed us we are capable of competing with anyone.”
The first quarter was close and competitive all the way through, but the Wildcats led 20-17 after the first eight minutes.
“The first quarter was all about adjustments,” senior Ally Malone said. “They came out hitting just about everything they shot, and we just had to adjust.”
The Titans then outscored the Wildcats in the second quarter, 15-12, tying the score at halftime.
“We knew that in the second half, the first couple minutes would be crucial, especially now being tied,” Malone said. “We needed to try and pull ahead and then bury them, but considering we had tied it after being down most of the time, it was good to see.”
The Titans had an even better third quarter, holding Lawrence North to only 10 points and scoring 14.
“Chloey came out hot, hitting four threes, which really helped us, and we got more stops on the defensive end,” Malone said.
The Lady Titans were up four points going into the fourth quarter, and head coach Kyle Brasher knew what it would take to win.
“We talked about what it took and the adjustments we made from the first to the second/third quarter,” Brasher said. “Our transition defense really picked up, our ability to stay in front of the ball and our offensive movement really made an impact on the game. We talked about the importance of doing those things. We felt like they would really ratchet up their defensive intensity to try to turn us over a bit more and that we needed to be sure to not turn it over.”
Despite battling back and even taking the lead, the Lady Titans were unable to clinch the win when Hurt’s buzzer beater found the bottom of the net.
The Lady Wildcats outscored the Lady Titans 24-17 in the fourth quarter. Although the girls lost, they remained positive and kept their heads up while being aware that there are still things on which they can improve.
“We just need to keep shoring up all the little things,” Brasher said. “We left anywhere from 10-14 points on the floor by missed layups or careless passes. If we clean that up, and make sure we block out every time against every team, this team could do something really special.”
In building something special not only as a team but also a program, toughening up the schedule prepares them for a postseason run.
“Games like this help us so much during the regular season,” Brasher said. “Playing the best teams in the state, whether we win or lose, is only going to prepare us for the postseason. We want to be the best versions of ourselves and play our best basketball in February, and that is what games like this do for us.”
Spink was a huge factor in the team’s success this game and has been throughout the season.
“Gabby had a huge impact on the game,” Brasher said. “They were guarding her up and down the court most of the night, and she did a great job of keeping us in our offensive systems. She found the players that were open for scoring opportunities and knew when to take her scoring opportunities.”
Since Brasher was hired in 2018, the Lady Titans basketball program has been going in the right direction.
“I think what it says about our program is that we have the potential to be one of the better programs in the state,” Brasher said. “A big part of it is our players have to believe it and know the work they put in from a young age on up and in the summer is paying off.”
