Few things are harder to stop than an avalanche. It just keeps barreling towards a target and shows no signs of slowing down. At this point in the season, the Shepherd women’s basketball program is probably feeling an avalanche would be less painful than their seven-game losing streak. No one enjoys losing, and when things start getting out of hand, players start getting upset with one another and morale begins to suffer. It makes for a vicious cycle, and getting out of it can prove to be arduous and difficult.
This past Thursday, the Rams traveled to Charleston to take on the Golden Eagles. Nichole Ross scored a game-high 23 points for Charleston while her teammate LeAnne Ross added 18 to the cause. Rachel Johnson of Frederick, Md. led the Rams with 13 points and added two blocked shots, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Center Gabby Flinchum scored 11 points and led Shepherd with five rebounds. Cara Mason, Maggie McLoughlin and Briana Vaden all pitched in from the bench, each adding eight points.
Charleston shot much better than the Rams on the evening, making 48.5 percent of their field goal attempts while the Rams came in at 37.3 percent. Charleston out-rebounded Shepherd 39–29 and forced 13 more turnovers than Shepherd. All things considered, the statistical domination led to a big win for the Golden Eagles, dropping the Rams 94–56.
Things didn’t get any better as the tenth-ranked Glenville State Pioneers dropped the Rams 119–76. Vaden had a standout performance for Shepherd as she scored a game and career-high 22 points to go along with six rebounds and two steals. The Stockton, Calif. native was also a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line. Johnson added 19 points while Flinchum added a team-high eight rebounds.
Kenyona Simmons had a team-high 18 points for Glenville while Aesha Peters led the Pioneers with 12 rebounds. At one point during the first half, the Pioneers went on a 25–4 run to build a 23-point lead. Glenville also had a massive edge in rebounding, leading that metric 62–45. Shepherd committed 29 turnovers and forced just 10.
All in all, you won’t win many games when you struggle in so many categories. The loss sees the Rams falling to 2–16.
Next on the schedule for the Lady Rams are the Bobcats of West Virginia Wesleyan College and then Notre Dame of Ohio. If the Rams want to have their season end respectably, now is the time to turn the tide.
Leave a Reply