Struggling Liberty County dropped its fourth straight game Tuesday night, falling 71-44 to rival Richmond Hill in a Region 2A-AAAA contest.
The Lady Wildcats held a double digit lead through most of the second half to dismantle the Lady Panthers.
"Right now we are just in a slump. I really don’t know what else to say. It’s a bad slump and we are missing too many lay ups and not showing any intensity on defense. It’s amazing to me that a game can go from a five point game to 15 in a matter of minutes," Liberty coach Carolyn Kelly said.
Liberty trailed 14-6 at the end of the first period, but the offense showed some signs of life in the second. Still, the Lady Panthers trailed 28-18 at halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Precious Williams put in a basket to cut Richmond Hill’s lead to 32-27. But as the game tightened the Lady Wildcats’ defense found another gear.
Richmond Hill forced and scored off four consecutive Liberty turnovers. The points resulted in a 10-point swing for Richmond Hill and the Lady Panthers were able to cruise through the fourth period.
Williams had 16 points in the loss for the Panthers. Courtney Rhodes finished with 15 points.
Liberty dropped to 9-10 on the season and 2-4 in region 2A-AAAA.
"I know we have the ability to play because they have shown it before," Kelly said. "We just have to figure out how to get back to the point where we are doing things that will give us a chance to play better basketball. As coaches we are giving them what they need to be successful, we just need to learn how to execute on the court. We need stronger court leadership. We have got to start playing with more heart and you can’t coach heart," Kelly said.
Liberty travels to region leader Brunswick Friday night and will host Wayne County Saturday night.
"We know that Brunswick is going to be really quick and athletic. We are going to play a good zone defense and not even worry about their speed, just try to take away good looks at the basket," Kelly said.
Richmond Hill 71,
Liberty County 44
RH 14|14|17|25-71
L 6|12|13|13-44
Liberty- Precious Williams 16, Courtney Rhodes 15, Catherine Scaggs 4, Britany Brown 4, Javoni Canty 2, La Shai Richardson 3, Bryonna Graham 1, Jasmina Smith 1.
Richmond Hill- Aliyah Johnson 22, Sydney Miller 11, Keeara Jackson 9, Tay Reynolds 9, Sarah Goolsby 8, Brandy Franklin 4, Ashley Scriven 4, Krissy McCawley 1.