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Roane’s Jessica Roberts backs in against Kayla Finch of Lincoln during Wednesday’s state tournament game in Charleston.
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Sports Editor - When Roane County trailed Lincoln by 14 points after the first quarter of its first-ever appearance in the girls state high school basketball tournament, some in the crowd were beginning to wonder about the worthiness of the Lady Raiders.
But any doubts were erased when sophomore guard Kate Williams canned a 3-pointer from the left wing to pull Roane within 24-22 with 2:15 left in the third quarter.
The Lady Raiders fell short in their comeback and went on to lose 50-32 Wednesday morning in a Class AA quarterfinal game that opened the annual event at the Charleston Civic Center.
“When you come down here, you don’t know if you really belong or not,” Raider head coach Frank Farrar said. “We got down 16-2, but we did come back.”
Lincoln (23-2), the tournament’s third seed, started strong against sixth-seeded Roane (15-10). Senior post player Kayla Finch scored the first eight points of the game for the Cougars, who kept the Lady Raiders off the board until a short baseline jumper by sophomore Clarissa Pinson at the 2:49 mark. Lincoln closed the first quarter with another 8-0 run to take what would be their largest lead until the final seconds of the game.
Roane shot a woeful 1-for-15 in the first eight minutes that also included an 0-for-4 showing from the foul line. In addition to the poor shooting, Lincoln scored nine points off six Lady Raider turnovers.
Junior guard Ashli Knotts said the poor shooting — Roane was just 12-for-53 for 22.6 percent in the game — was not a result of jitters or the 9:30 a.m. starting time.
“We start thinking if we’re not on, then pass it,” she said. “That’s when we make turnovers.”
Farrar said the wayward shooting was a trend for his team this season.
“Really, we don’t have a great shooting team,” he said. “All year we’ve been like that. They’re used to being in a hole.”
That experience helped the Lady Raiders patiently wait for things to start going their way. Roane chipped away at the big lead and managed to pull within 22-14 by halftime on the strength of 6-for-10 free throw shooting in the period.
Senior forward Jessica Roberts finished the half with 11 rebounds and the Lady Raiders began to see their game-long 2-2-1 press take its toll on the Cougars.
Roberts scored five points early in the second half on a pair of power lay-ups and a free throw before Williams’ key bucket. Lincoln countered by going up 28-22 on a pair of free throws by Finch before Williams ended the third quarter with a jumper from the right wing.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Shinnston-based Cougars as they went on a 12-2 run that featured a pair of 3-pointers by junior guard Chelsea Holcomb.
When Roberts picked up her fifth foul with 3:26 left and her team down by 12, the outcome was all but sealed.
“When Jess went out we knew it was over,” Farrar said.
Williams scored 11 off the bench to lead the Lady Raiders. Pinson, Knotts and Roberts added six each, with Roberts finishing with 15 boards and Knotts dishing six assists to go with seven steals.
Finch totaled 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Cougars, who enjoyed a 46-44 advantage on the boards. Lincoln shot 32.2 percent for the game and had 18 turnovers to 21 for the Lady Raiders.
“I’m as proud as I can be of them,” Farrar said of his team. “The effort has been there all season.”
While disappointed with the loss, Roberts was happy that for the first time a Roane County season had ended at the state tournament.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “I couldn’t ask for a better end to the season. A win would have been nice, but making history for Roane County was amazing.”
Roane County (15-10) 2 12 10 8 - 32
Lincoln (23-2) 16 6 6 22 - 50
ROANE 32
Clarissa Pinson 2-7 2-4 6, Sammy Sloan 0-3 0-0 0, Ashli Knotts 3-11 0-0 6, Stephanie Cutlip 0-12 0-2 0, Jessica Roberts 2-10 2-6 6, Amber Drake 0-0 0-0 0, Kate Williams 5-10 0-0 11, Brittany Westfall 0-0 0-0 0, Erica Ellison 0-0 3-4 3, Taylor Bradley 0-0 0-0 0, Brittany Armstead 0-0 0-0 0, Beth Garrett 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 12-53 7-16 32. 3-point goal: Williams
LINCOLN 50
Emily Cook 2-6 0-0 4, Chelsea Holcomb 5-10 0-0 12, Ally Riley 2-10 0-0 5, Marisa Lane 0-2 0-0 0, Kayla Finch 5-11 4-4 14, Shanna Akers 2-5 1-3 5, Kristy Akers 2-9 2-3 7, Bree Flanagan 0-0 0-0 0, Madeline Napier 0-0 0-0 0, Christie Hittel 0-0 0-0 0, Desiree Owens 0-0 0-0 0, Rachel McIntire 1-6 1-2 3. Totals: 19-59 8-12 50. 3-point goals: Holcomb 2, Riley, K. Akers
