S. MICHAEL HUTCHESON
STAFF WRITER
The Lady Barons basketball team put up a fierce fight in its second game of the season this past Wednesday, Nov. 14, but the team was eventually overrun by the Chatham Cougars 82-55.
By 7 p.m., the cheers from the over 200 attendees could be heard even from the doors of the Finnegan Fieldhouse, as the ladies from both teams got some last-minute practice in before the game. The Franciscan University Pep Band played crowd favorites, and at the top of the hour, after a prayer and the National Anthem, the game began immediately.
The Lady Barons started strong, winning the tip and taking an early lead. This was thanks to senior guard Raegan Stead, who scored 6 points within the first two minutes of the game, and freshman forward Angela Starre, who scored another 8 points. However, despite the team’s steady game during the first quarter, Chatham’s consistent three-point shots quickly brought them neck-and-neck with Franciscan. The quarter ended with a score of 20-19 in favor of Chatham.
Throughout the second quarter, the Lady Barons began to waver, and the Cougars started landing shot after shot, quickly establishing a large lead over Franciscan. Between multiple fouls and Chatham’s spot on three-point shooting, the Lady Barons did well to trail by only 18 points at the end of the second quarter, which ended at 46-28. The players earned a brief respite in the form of an entertaining dance routine at halftime, in which there was coordinated baton-twirling followed by a mini-concert by the Pep Band.
The third and fourth quarters proceeded in a similar manner. The Lady Barons attempted to rally during the fourth quarter, narrowing the lead – which had grown to nearly 30 points – down to almost 20. However, the Chatham Cougars did not yield, and the third quarter was ended 69-40, and the game, 82-55.
Head Coach Suzy Delaney had respect for Chatham’s technical skills, but she was still pleased with how the Lady Barons were able to hold their own for a while. “Chatham has a deep team and they just kept coming,” she said. “We hung with them for a little while but then their talent and experience took over.”
Delany remained optimistic about the team’s growth and performance in the future. “We’re going to keep working hard to improve and get better each day,” she said.
The Lady Barons next take on Grove City College on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m. on the Kuzma Court.