By Rob Potter
GRAHAMSVILLE — Visiting Livingston Manor set the tone early in Friday night’s non-league game versus Tri-Valley.
The Lady Wildcats used their aggressive defense to cause T-V turnovers and grab a 9-2 lead in the first four minutes of the contest. Once it had that lead, Manor did not look back.
The Manor offense was clicking on all cylinders as the team turned that early lead into a 37-24 advantage at halftime and 57-36 lead at the end of the third quarter. Five Lady Wildcats scored in double figures as the team recorded a 69-48 victory.
Leading the way were Mary Mills, Jen Taggart and Charlene Vail, each of whom scored a game-high 13 points. Carrie Lewis added 12 points and Heather Sherwood chipped in 10.
While Manor (6-4) held an early lead, T-V (2-6) attempted to rally. After falling behind 7-0 at the beginning of the game, the Lady Bears responded later in the first quarter. A three-point shot by senior guard Amanda Krom with 2:43 left in the period pulled T-V to within four points, 13-9.
But Manor answered in the next minute. Vail scored inside the paint and Carrie Lewis hit a short jumper to push the Lady Wildcat lead to 17-9.
Two minutes into the second period, Vail put the ball in the hoop from close range to give Manor its first double-digit lead at 25-15. The Lady Wildcats then held at least a 10-point lead throughout the rest of the contest.
Manor also enjoyed a big advantage at the free-throw line. The Lady Wildcats converted 13-of-28 foul shots, while the Lady Bears were just 3-of-7 at the line.
“I thought we came out a lot more focused after what happened the other night,” said Manor Coach Kevin Clifford, who was referring to last Wednesday night when the Lady Wildcats lost to Eldred in the final seconds of the game. “Tonight, nine of our 10 players scored and the team worked hard.”
Clifford also noted that T-V was a very determined team.
“We took that early lead, but they didn’t fold up – they kept fighting,” he said. “The Tri-Valley team played with a lot of heart.”
T-V was led by Shauna Murry, who scored 12 points. Krom added 10 points and junior center Lacey Moore had six points.
T-V Coach Karen Furman noted that Manor’s defense and rebounding spelled trouble for her team.
“Heather Sherwood got a lot of steals and baskets off of their press,” Furman said of the Manor guard. “She had 10 points in the first half.
“They out-rebounded us by a lot at both ends of the floor. And we had two players foul out, which didn’t help our cause.”