By Wade Linville –Â
The Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington Lady Jays capped off varsity girls’ hoop action at this year’s Ripley Pepsi Classic by claiming a 53-38 win over the St. Patrick Lady Saints of Kentucky.
Scoring started off slow with the Lady Jays holding a narrow 6-5 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the young Ripley varsity squad found its rhythm on the offensive end in the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Saints 21-8 in the frame to hold a 27-13 lead at halftime. Ripley junior Carlee Daulton racked up 10 of the Lady Jays’ second-quarter points with buckets also coming from Kailee Fisher, Tori Lewis, and Cailey Kirk.
The Lady Jays came off halftime break to outscore the St. Patrick squad 13-8 in the third quarter, holding a 40-21 lead going into the final frame.
St. Patrick’s Libby Gallenstein, who scored only four points in the first three quarters of play, fired for 14 points in the fourth quarter with four three-pointers and a two-point field goal. The Lady Saints managed to outscore the Lady Jays 17-13 in the final frame, but it was the Ripley varsity girls coming away with a 15-point victory.
Daulton led the way in scoring for the Lady Jays with 17 points. Also shooting for double figures in the Dec. 30 win were Kirk and Lewis with 11 points each.
Gallenstein finished with 18 points to lead all scorers in the contest.
The Dec. 30 win marked the second of the season for the Lady Jays, a senior-less varsity basketball team that has made steady improvement while gaining valuable experience on the court under the leadership of long-time Ripley coach Chris Coleman.
