Balanced Attack Boosts #19 Seward to 5-0 Start

Coming into the Billy's/Days Inn Classic, the 19^th ranked Seward County Lady Saints knew that they would have a battle on their hands to stay unbeaten in the early going as they took on 3-1 South Plains and 4-1 Fort Carson.  Using a balanced attack, with   five different players getting into double figures in scoring during the weekend, the Lady Saints kept their unblemished season alive, knocking off South Plains 69-62 before blowing out Fort Carson 93-62 to move to 5-0 on the year. 

In their opener of the classic, the Lady Saints took on the defending WJCAC Champion South Plains in a meeting that has become a tradition on the third weekend of November over the past few years.  The Lady Saints got off to a good start, grabbing a 14-7 lead on baskets from five different players.  Later on the Lady Saints extended their lead to eight at 19-11 on a free throw from Shanise Brooks, but a 9-1 run for the Lady Texans erased Seward's lead and put the teams back to square one with the score tied at 20.  Seward scored the next six points to take the lead back and after South Plains came back to tie the game for the second time, the gals in green used another run before the half to carry a 34-31 lead into the locker rooms at half. 

Seward use their post presence early in the second half, going to Brooks and Korina Chapman down low for scores to extend their lead to 42-37.  But, once again, the Lady Texans showed that they weren't intimidated by the #19 team in the country and battled right back, scoring the next five points to knot things up at 42 with 13:06 to go in the game.  It continued to be a back and forth affair with the Lady Saints clinging to a lead under the eight minute mark.  South Plains took their first lead of the game at the 6:29 mark but Seward answered right back with a drive and score from Payton Fleming to take the lead back at 51-50.  It remained a one possession game into the final minute as Seward held a 65-62 lead.  After a South Plains miss on an attempt to tie the game and subsequent Lady Texan foul, Brianna Scott knocked down both free throws for Seward to just about put the game out of reach.  The Lady Texans missed one more long ball on their next attempt and Fabiana Monte iced the game with two more free throws to give Seward the 69-62 win. 

Seward held South Plains to just 32% shooting in the game while cashing in on 43% of their chances on the other end.  Both teams struggled from the outside as the Lady Saints were just 2 for 11 and South Plains was 4 for 25.  Four Seward players got into double figures in the contest, led by Monte who scored a team high 17 points and also tied her career high with 7 rebounds.  Chapman and Brooks scored a dozen a piece while combining for 17 rebounds and Scott put in 10 points in 30 minutes of work. 

#19 SEWARD COUNTY/SOUTH PLAINS BOX SCORE

In their final home game in the month of November, the Lady Saints took on a Fort Carson team comprised of women from the Army and Air Force, a group who had a 4-1 record going into the game, with their only loss coming in a 7 point defeat to #3 Hutchinson a day earlier in the Greenhouse.  Things started off peachy for Seward whose game plan was to pound the ball inside against the far oversized Lady Lions.  On their first trip down the floor Seward got the ball into Brooks who scored immediately to take a 2-0 lead.  Seward went up 9-5 later on on a runner from Monte, but Fort Carson showed some grit, cutting the Lady Saints lead to just one at 11-10 two minutes later.  It was still a four point game at 17-13 with 12:59 to go in the half until Chapman got on a roll.  The redshirt sophomore transfer from Boston College scored  nine straight points for the Lady Saints, taking that four point advantage and turning it into an 11 point lead in a matter of just two minutes.  After that spurt, the route was on for the gals in green.  Seward opened up a 20 point lead at the 5:15 mark on a pair of free throws from Scott and went to the locker rooms up 49-24.  Seward used a the two headed, inside-out, combo of Chapman and Monte in the first half, with the duo combining to outscore Fort Carson all by themselves 28-24.  The Lady Saints shot just 37% in the period but cashed in on 16 of 17 from the free throw line to gain the 25 point advantage. 

Fort Carson dipped into the Seward lead early in the second half, turning a 27 point Lady Saint cushion into an 18 point game with a 13-4 run early in the period.  Seward regrouped though and by the midway mark of the half, had built their lead back up to 72-46 on a three from Kyndal Davis.  Seward took their first 30 point lead of the game on a three pointer from Fleming to make it 82-50 and stretched the gap all the way to 89-52 before taking their foot off the gas to coast to a 93-62 win over the Lady Lions. 

Chapman led Seward with a career high 24 points while Alana Simon and Fabiana Monte each scored 16 in the victory.  Brooks scored 14 points and had 6 rebounds in just 11 minutes of action and Scott and Davis each had 8 for the Lady Saints. 

#19 SEWARD COUNTY/FORT CARSON BOX SCORE

The Lady Saints improve to 5-0 on the year with the weekend sweep.  It marks just the second 5-0 start for Seward in the past seven seasons.  The Lady Saints will now set their sights ahead to next weekend where they will travel to Hutchinson to participate in a classic in the Sports Arena.  Seward will battle Central Methodist's JV on Friday at 1:30 before meeting San Jacinto Saturday in the same matinee start.