We all know just how tough it can be to win an athletic contest on the road, regardless of whether it’s high school, college or the pros.
But that’s exactly what the Silverdale Lady Seahawks did Tuesday night at Boyd Buchanan’s Jett Gym as they came from behind to win a big region game by a 48-39 final.
Silverdale is now 15-10 overall and 5-1 in region play at second place behind Notre Dame. The Lady Bucs are now 7-9 overall and 2-3 in region play.
Sophomore Kinsley Owen was the sparkplug on both ends of the court for the Lady Seahawks as she finished with a double-double, leading both teams with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
She is without a doubt the go-to player for Silverdale. When she plays well, her teammates seem to follow suit. That was the case in enemy territory on Tuesday.
“I thought we played better as the game went on, but for some reason, we never shoot well in this gym,” said Silverdale coach Victor Underwood following the game.
“Most people don’t realize it, but her greatest skill is passing. She’s a competitor who plays hard all the time. We need her to shoot more at times, but her motor never turns off and it’s been a real blessing to have her on our team,” Underwood added.
Boyd Buchanan coach Tracy Walker liked what she saw in the first half when her Lady Bucs built a 27-24 lead at intermission, but that same intensity just wasn’t there in the final two quarters when the Lady Seahawks took charge.
“I thought we had a good first half as things were working, but we just had a mental breakdown in the third quarter as we sort of got pushed around a little bit,” Walker said, still now knowing what the answer to those issues might be.
“I thought we competed and played one of our better games, but we just couldn’t keep that fire burning in the second half. I was pleased at times, but we just need to be more consistent,” she added.
Libby Cline sank a 3 in the first minute to put Silverdale ahead at the start, but the lead changed hands three times in that opening quarter before a 3 from Boyd Buchanan’s Jada Sanders just ahead of the buzzer knotted the score at 15 when the first stanza ended.
Kennedy King started the second period with a 3 before Sanders scored on a putback to put the Lady Bucs up 20-15 with 5:40 left before intermission.
King scored again with just over three minutes left to give Boyd its biggest lead at 24-18.
Back-to-back buckets from Braylee Raby trimmed that advantage to 24-22 with just under two minutes left. Sanders then sank a jumper from the line and Kinley Bates hit the second of two free throws for a 27-22 Lady Buc lead with 1:04 to play, but Owen sank a short jumper with 15 seconds left to make it 27-24 at intermission.
You could tell by the facial expressions that the momentum in the game had changed at that point.
Lesley Burton scored on a layup to start the third quarter for Boyd Buchanan and Bates added a layup with 5:11 showing to put the Lady Bucs back up by six at 32-26, but the Lady Seahawks then finished the quarter on a 12-0 run for a 38-32 lead and the Lady Bucs never recovered.
A steal and layup from Owen gave Silverdale its biggest lead of the game at 44-34 with just over five minutes to play.
Bates hit the first of two free throws with 3:02 to play to get the Lady Bucs within seven at 44-37, but Silverdale then scored four of the final six points to secure the win.
While Owen set the pace for Silverdale with her 24 points, Raby was also in double figures with 10.
Sanders was the leader for the Lady Bucs with 13 points while Bates, King and Burton all finished with eight.
The Lady Bucs also had an unofficial 31-25 advantage in rebounds as Burton grabbed 10 and King six. Owen and Raby had 11 and six, respectively, to lead Silverdale.
Boyd Buchanan returns to action on Thursday on the road when they face the Chattanooga Patriots while Silverdale will be at home on Friday to host Grace.
Silverdale then travels to Notre Dame on Tuesday where the Lady Seahawks have to win by more than 15 if they want to take over first place in the region.
GIRLS SUMMARY
SILVERDALE 15 9 14 10 -- 48
BOYD BUCHANAN 15 12 5 7 -- 39
SILVERDALE (48) – Canter 2, Hoover, Braylee Raby 10, Kinsley Owen 24, Littrell 1, Colter 5, Cline 6.
BOYD BUCHANAN (39) – Glover, Bates 8, Jada Sanders 13, K. King 8, S. King 2, Houston, Burton 8.
3-POINT GOALS: Silverdale 4 (Cline 2, Owen, Colter); Boyd Buchanan 2 (Sanders, K. King).
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)