Lady Blazers fall on the road

FEB. 4, JAMES HUBERT BLAKE HIGH SCHOOL –

The Blair girls' basketball team was unable to complete a season sweep of the Blake Bengals, losing on the road 53-47. The Blazers have now lost five straight games and have a record of 4-12.

In their first meeting, the Lady Blazers were able to soundly defeat the Bengals by the score of 47-35. According to Head Coach William Lindsey, that earlier win caused the team to be too sure of themselves coming into tonight's game. "There was a sense of overconfidence because we had beaten them before," said Lindsey.

The overconfidence began to surface in the first quarter. Blair made only two of its first 17 field goal attempts, leading to a meager total of four points. The Blazers' defense fared better, giving up 12 points in the first and keeping the game somewhat close. However, Blair was unable to find an answer for Blake guard Molly Wannen, who scored six of her game-high 17 points in the first quarter.

The tempo of the game greatly increased in the second quarter. After combining for just 16 points in the first quarter, the Bengals and Blazers scored a combined 34 points as a result of a more aggressive offensive style. The Blazers were led by sophomore sensation Cate Rassman, who added seven of her team-high 15 points in the second quarter. Despite the increased scoring, Blair was unable to cut into the Blake lead, and the Bengals went into the half up by the score of 29-21. The Blazers slowed the game down in the third quarter and closed the gap to five by the end of the third.

As they have done on many occasions before, the Lady Blazers made a bid for a comeback in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, poor free throw shooting down the stretch eliminated Blair's chances at winning the game. The Blazers made just seven of their 17 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, a statistic that disappointed Coach Lindsey. "There was a chance to catch up or tie it up, but we couldn't finish," said Lindsey.

The loss was an especially frustrating one for the Lady Blazers, partially because of poor officiating. Members of the Blair bench could be heard yelling at the scorer's table on multiple occasions because points were not properly credited. Worse yet, both Coach Lindsey and guard Simone Viger drew technical fouls for arguing with the officials. "Some officials let things go, and you can't let things go," said Lindsey.

The girls' basketball team will play their next game on the road against the Sherwood Warriors on Fri., Feb. 6 at 7:00 p.m. The Blazers beat the Warriors in their first matchup, a 47-35 win at Blair.

Click here to stream the Blair Sports Network's highlights from this game.