By Chris McCarthy/Editor
The Lady Cardinals certainly shared the wealth on homecoming last Monday (Nov. 16).
Fourteen out of 15 players made the scoring column as Gadsden State cruised to a 77-57 victory over Chattahoochee (Ga.) Tech at Beck Field House.
Just two out of the 14 scorers reached double digits, a statistic that head coach Marty Dixon attributed to each player becoming accustomed to her role on any given night.
“The important thing was that all of the subs contributed in some way tonight. In the second half we did a better job in getting some put-backs on the offensive end, and I also thought that we did a better job of passing the ball. Defensively, we’re improving each time out.”
Brittany Washington led the way with 13 points, while Kaelyn Irby added 10. Both players had seven rebounds and three assists.
Denise Newton chipped in eight points and five rebounds, while Morgan Jones, Casey Perot and Keely Ellison each had six. Marissa Dubose grabbed seven rebounds.
An 8-0 run near the end of the first quarter gave the hosts a 22-13 lead. Three-point baskets from Newton, Emily Murray and Washington during the first few minutes of the second period provided the Lady Cardinals with a double-digit lead that they held for the rest of the contest. Washington connected from beyond the arc four times during the quarter, including a trey with 14 seconds left that sent Gadsden State into the locker room with a 41-27 advantage.
Dixon, however, was not pleased with his team’s performance at the foul line, as the Lady Cardinals shot 52 percent (14-for-27) from the charity stripe.
“We need to do a better job in that area,” he said. “We’ve got to be 70 percent or better at the free throw line. If that happens, we’re up by 30 [points], or close to it. That’s been our Achilles Heel all season. We’ve been drilling that in practice and we need to carry that into the games.”
Five points from Irby helped Gadsden State take a 57-30 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Lady Cardinals went 7-for-10 at the free throw line over the final eight minutes to secure the victory.
“Some girls are having to play out of position, but they’re adjusting pretty well,” said Dixon. “We’re still feeling our way some because we lost several players who were relied on last year. The difference in speed at this level is the biggest adjustment for most of the girls.”