By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Cair Paravel Latin girls basketball team came up short in its bid for a Senior Night victory Thursday. A 48-37 loss to Atchison County closed the Lions’ regular season at 4-15.
Junior KellyAnn Chada led Cair Paravel with 16 points in Thursday's 48-37 loss to Atchison County. [File photo/TSN]
The Lions and Tigers traded leads in a game full of runs. But the Tigers got the momentum when it counted. They turned a 33-26 third-quarter deficit around by reeling off 12 straight points, going up 38-33 midway through the fourth period. In the end, they outscored Cair Paravel 20-4 in the final period.
“In the fourth quarter, (Atchison County) pushed more, they were just fighting, they were being aggressive, and we just didn’t have the execution and the drive,” said Cair Paravel coach Jaley Barkley. “Finishing those last 10 minutes is always hard, but I’m still proud of them. I could see the heart they had.”
Trailing 19-16 at halftime, the Lions got hot in the third period, outscoring the visitors 17-9. Freshman London Backman was the catalyst, scoring nine points in the third. But Backman picked up her fifth foul at a crucial moment early in the final period, depriving the Lions of one of their two primary offensive threats.
Junior KellyAnn Chada scored 16 for the Lions, followed by Backman with 14. Those two combined for 30 of the Lions’ 37 points.
“Those two have been shooting it really well from the three and just performing really well,” Barkley said. “It’s hard to win when only a couple of people are performing well. But tonight, though the other girls weren’t scoring a lot, it was encouraging because the other girls were getting (Chada and Backman) the ball and the girls inside were trying so hard. The ball just wasn’t falling.”
Atchison County benefited from its own one-two punch. Senior Kinzee Baurele tallied 26 points and classmate Kori Wagner added 15, accounting for 41 of the Tigers’ 48 points.
Senior Night was unique for Barkley in that she was a teammate to the Lions’ two seniors, Shay Meyer and Audrey Chada.
“It’s super cool to have played with those girls,” Barkley said. “I wish I could just be out there with them. It’s super special seeing the amount of growth from when they were little freshmen to the awesome relationship we still have together.”
ATCHISON COUNTY GIRLS 48, CAIR PARAVEL 37
Atchison County 10 9 9 20 -- 48
Cair Paravel 6 10 17 4 -- 37
Atchison County (9-10) – Kimmi 0-1 0-0 0, Scholz 0-5 3-4 3, Wagner 6-14 2-3 15, Baurele 9-23 5-5 26, Spear 1-4 0-0 2, Crockett 0-0 0-0 0, Foote 0-0 2-2 2, Caplinger 0-0 0-0 0, Ragaru 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 16-47 12-14 48.
Cair Paravel (4-15) – Meyer 1-4 0-0 3, Hastert 1-10 0-0 2, Backman 4-6 4-4 14, A. Chada 1-3 0-0 2, K. Chada 5-18 3-4 16, Welshans 0-2 0-0 0, Donaldson 0-6 0-0 0, Kipers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 12-49 7-8 37.
3-point goals – Atchison County 4 (Baurele 3, Wagner 1), Cair Paravel 6 (K. Chada 3, Backman 2, Meyer 1). Total fouls – Atchison County 10, Cair Paravel 14. Fouled out – Backman. Technical fouls – None.
