At first, last week seemed like it was going to end the same way as usual for the Lady Rams when they fell to the UVa-Wise Cavaliers. However, the girls were finally able to put a stop to their ballooning losing streak when they defeated the Mountain Lions of Concord University.
At the beginning of Thursday night’s matchup against the Cavaliers, the Rams kept the game close with six lead changes. However, about 10 minutes into the first half, they lost the lead for good. The Cavaliers closed out the half with a score of 45–35. They were then able to maintain the lead for the entire second half, ending the game with a final score of 81–68.
The Rams were led by freshman forward Liz Myers who scored a career-high 15 points and redshirt freshman forward Hailey Brown who added 12 points. Senior forward Jimyse Brown also contributed to the score with 11 points. The Rams connected 35.2 percent of their shots from the floor, 20 percent from three-point range, and 71.4 percent from the charity stripe.
Taylor Sandidge with 17 points and Makenzie Cluesman with 15 points led the Cavaliers. UVa-Wise out-shot Shepherd, shooting a very respectable 54.2 percent from the floor. They also shot 27.3 percent from beyond the arc and 76.5 percent from the line.
Saturday’s game against the Mountain Lions was one for the books as the Rams put an end to their 12-game losing streak. The girls maintained control of the game, allowing Concord to take the lead only one time during the whole duration of the contest. The Rams closed out the half with a four-point lead, then maintained it throughout the whole second half, ending the game with a score of 90–77.
The Rams were led to victory by redshirt freshman guard Cara Mason who scored 23 points and Brown and junior guard Rachel Johnson who both tacked on 15 points. The Rams shot 44.6 percent from the floor, 36.4 percent of their three-pointers and 72.7 of their foul shots.
Head coach Toni West had very positive things to say about her team after their big win. “It was huge that we took five charges. That helped us foul out some of Concord’s key players. We also had a high shooting percentage because we had good shot selections,” stated West. “This was the first game we really looked like a team and read defense efficiently. Now we just have to make that more consistent.”
The Mountain Lions only connected 32.9 percent of their shots from the floor, plus 32.1 percent from the three-point range and 81.8 percent from the line. They were led by Andrea Bertrand with 26 points and Melea Smith with 20 points.
The Rams are now able to add a win to their record and are 3–21. Shepherd has two final chances for victory this week. On Wednesday, the Rams will host the 2–22 West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats, then they will travel to face the 15–8 Fairmont State Falcons on Saturday for their final game of the regular season.