Lady Raptors control Brentwood

By CHIP CIRILLO | Photos by STEVE WHEELER

Ravenwood played great defense and Brentwood struggled on offense.

That led to a 36-15 win for the Lady Raptors, as Ravenwood’s relentless half-court man-to-man defense held the visiting Lady Bruins to six points or less in every quarter on Friday night.

The Lady Bruins (6-16, 1-7 District 11-AAA) shot 21.4 percent from the floor on 6 of 28 shooting as they were held to a season low in points.

“I just think communication was the biggest thing,” Ravenwood coach Mariska Harris said. “All five out on the floor and three on the bench were locked in, engaged, communicating, talking about everything and really helping each other out.”

Guard Kiera Downey led the Lady Raptors (12-9, 4-5) with 15 points.

“We were just putting a lot of ball pressure on and making sure they couldn’t get it into the post,” Downey said. “They have shooters, so we were getting out on shooters and making them take tough, contested shots, and that made a difference.”

Ravenwood is fifth in the district, one game behind Summit (9-11, 4-3).

Brentwood is in sixth, a half-game ahead of Independence (6-15, 1-8).

“We were anything but consistent on offense or defense,” Brentwood coach Ronnie Seigenthaler said. “It was obvious we didn’t shoot the ball well across the board, but we didn’t take the shots that we’re trying to get. When we did get the shots that were open looks, we struggled at making them tonight.”

One game after recording its first district win over Summit, Brentwood fell behind 10-1 in the first quarter after missing its first five shots from the field.

Brentwood cut the deficit to 12-9 at halftime, but the Lady Raptors took charge by starting the third quarter with a 13-2 run.

“Our defense was out of whack and I think we just had a mental breakdown,” Brentwood guard Abby Shealy said. “We weren’t getting back. Offensively, we could not get in a flow and we were just out of it. It was like we weren’t even in the game.”

Brentwood freshman Delany Truschel injured her right knee and ankle in the fourth quarter.

“We kept getting frustrated because our shots weren’t going down so therefore it broke down our defense,” Brentwood forward Olivia Ryals said. “We’re a really young team, so the moment me and Abby break down it’s a domino effect.”

Ryals and Shealy are the Lady Bruins’ only seniors.

UP NEXT

Brentwood visits Independence on Tuesday.

Ravenwood visits district leader Dickson County on Tuesday.