Osgood Journal Sports
February 17, 2009

JCD Lady Eagles cap Toppers, slay Cougars, now make battle plans for Lady Mohawks

Gary Franklin, Sports Writer

The championship game of the '09 IHSAA Class 1A Girls Sectional held at JCDHS produced a hometown favorite earning the regional trip as the Lady Eagles made good on a determined forward drive to extend their season's basketball activity.
As the sectional draws slate of games to be played became evident, the South Decatur Lady Cougars were first to open Sectional #60 action, in a game against the Oldenburg Lady Twisters.
The Lady Cougars entered the tournament with a 6-13 record while the Lady Twisters had only one win for the season, that earned over Trinity Lutheran on February 7 by a score of 54-25. The Lady Cougars won the game over the Lady Twisters, 60-34, advancing to the second round game where they would battle the Rising Sun Lady Shiners.
The hosting Jac- Cen-Del Lady Eagles had to open their '09 tournament bid against the Shawe Lady Hilltoppers. The inclement weather forced regular season game postponement which led the two teams to contest less than an week earlier with the Lady Eagles traveling to Shawe HS where they claimed a 12 point victory of 52-40.
As their sectional battle unfolded, the Lady Eagles took control and captured an 18 point win by the score of 56-38 when the final horn had sounded.
The SD Lady Cougars met the Rising Sun Lady Shiners in their second game. The Shiners entered the mix with a 4-16 overall season record. South Decatur played to a 44-30 victory to earn a place on the championship game ticket.
Sect'l #60 Championship
The Lady Eagles had defeated the Lady Cougars in their early December regular season game by 10 points at 49-39. With all the cards on the table in this nigh'ts match, what had happened earlier was out the window, and the winner this time would extend their season while the other would go home.
With poise and determination, the Lady Eagles behind the leadership of Coach Scott Smith worked for and provided the desired positive outcome for the JCD crowd. Some of the high notes of the game for individual Lady Eagles were: four assists by senior Kristen Hicks, four steals each for the Wagner girls, Valorie and Becca and rebounding efforts that paid off largely by Alyssa Hammond with 14 and Valorie Wagner with 13. Many monumental plays were made during the game as Lady Eagles stepped up to provide whatever was needed to secure the victory.
Score by Quarter
JCD 13-10 SD
JCD 23-21 SD
JCD 39-34 SD
JCD 55-46 SD
Jac-Cen-Del Lady Eagles 55
Becca Wagner 20
Val Wagner 17
Alyssa Hammond 10
Kristen Hicks 6
Samantha White 2
Non-scoring Lady Eagles: Kristin Konradi, Alissa Stolze, Brooke Gilland, Meagan Hughes, Hailee Sizemore, Emily Huntington and Morgan Young.
So. Decatur Lady Cougars 46
Briana Palmer 16
Kieghlea Owens 8
Allison Cunningham 8
Elizabeth Mauer 7
Ashley Lewellyn 3
Ashleigh Ewing 2
Rylie Buening 2
Non-scoring Lady Cougars: Kassidie Diekhoff, Alexis Watts, Taylor Nolting and Kristen Kirchner.