Michael Pineda
LAWTON — Just when it seemed like Duncan found the answer, Lawton MacArthur was able to one-up the Lady Demons.
Trailing 38-20, Duncan turned to a half-court trap and made a rout into a ballgame. The Lady Highlanders survived a 12-1 run by Duncan and put the game away in the final frame, shooting 10-for-12 from the line to win 53-42.
“The girls played hard,” Duncan coach Andrew McClung said. “It’s pretty simple. When the ball goes in the hole the game becomes real simple. D’Shala (Culberson) did a good job inside against them but the guards couldn’t hit.
“It’s the same story. We are inconsistent from game to game. We had our best two days of practice shooting but we went into the game and couldn’t hit.”
The Lady Demons relied on the perimeter in the first half and shot 2-of-13 from beyond the arc in falling behind 31-18. Hurting Duncan’s cause was Lawton Mac’s ability to get down the floor in transition and get easy looks at the basket. Alexis French scored 11 of her 18 points in the first quarter as the Lady Highlanders ran out to the lead.
“Mac did a good job of finding gaps in the full court press,” McClung said. “Part of it is that the guards are doing their job but we aren’t rotating in the back.”
The Lady Highlanders kept the pressure on Duncan, running the lead out to 18 points before the Lady Demons found a defense that could fuel the offense. McClung went to the half-court trap and a couple of turnovers fueled Duncan momentum with an 8-0 run. A Culberson lay-up cut the deficit under 10 at 39-30 for the first time since the first quarter and gave Duncan life.
Lawton Mac did not do itself any favors from the line in the third quarter, shooting 2-of-7 but turned it around in the final frame for the majority of its points. The lead surged back past the 10-point mark halfway through the quarter. Britton Scott drilled a three to cut the lead to 48-40 at the 3:09 mark as Duncan attempted another rally.
The Lady Demons had an opportunity to cut the lead closer only to come up empty on a call that went against them rather than send Dani Jo St. Clair to the line. Duncan did not score following the inbounds play and was never able to creep any closer as it fell to 4-11 on the season.
Britton Scott led the Lady Demons with 17 points and Culberson scored 12. Jazzmine Frye also reached double figures with 12 in support of French’s 18.
— Michael Pineda is the sports editor for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 143, or via e-mail at m.pineda@duncanbanner.com.
