Lady Cougars make history

The Lady Cougars continue to make history. The squad, which took part in its first state playoffs last season, added more to its impressive resume' this weekend, claiming its first NEA Tournament crown. Rector climbed the mountain in dominating fashion, rolling over conference foe Bay 56-33 in Saturday's A-AA final.

The Lady Cougars put together one of the finest displays the fans at the ASU Convocation Center were ever likely to witness in the first quarter.

The scoring began with Rector battling on the offensive glass. Rachael Gipson and Hannah Parsley both came up with extra opportunities on the Lady Cougars first possession. Hillary Calhoun put the first points on the board following a rebound and dish down low from Parsley. The future Freed-Hardeman Lady Lion showed her tenacity on the glass early, bringing in four offensive boards in the first quarter, but first, she would push the Rector advantage to 4-0 in the first minute-and-a-half, going coast-to-coast for a lay-up after doing some work on the defensive glass.

But what really put the Lady Cougars over-the-top in the big first quarter was perimeter shooting. Senior Allison Smart got the long-range barrage started, nailing a three from the left wing with just over five minutes left in the initial period. Amber Haynes and Hillary Calhoun got into the act minutes later, as a pair of treys from Haynes sandwiched a Calhoun dagger over a 1:10 stretch which saw Rector jump to a 22-4 advantage with 2:44 left in the first quarter of play.

Bay called a timeout at that point, but even the most casual fan of basketball was all but convinced the game was already in the Lady Cougars' back pocket. Parsley added a driving lay-in with 39 seconds left before the start of the second frame to set the 24-4 opening in stone.

"I wouldn't mind one bit if we were still playing the first quarter right now," Lady Cougar head coach Matt Rabjohn said following the game. "I don't have to do anything when we come out and play like that. I just sit back and let them play. The way we came out, it was almost unbelievable. That's probably the best we've ever played. When we play like that, there's no coaching involved. It's all them. It's like the girls found another gear and were playing at a totally different level. That was about as well as any team could have played. I'm very proud of this team."

The pace slowed a bit in the second frame, yet remained firmly in Rector's favor. Rachael Gipson, at 6-1 the tallest girl in the game for wither team, showed her range, opening the quarter off with a flawless three-pointer from the right corner just 17 seconds into the action. The Lady Cougars forced two turnovers and continued on an 11-4 run which saw the ladies in blue move ahead 35-13 at the half.

After the outstanding early performance, it wasn't unlikely to see some semblance of a letdown in the second half. Rector looked out-of-sorts following intermission, turning the ball over on their first three possessions as Bay went on a 5-0 mini-run.

There was no fear in the hearts of the Lady Cougars, however. Parsley responded by nailing a tree-pointer and connecting on a one-handed floater in the lane over a span of 45 seconds, extending the lead back to 21 at 40-19. Parsley added a long jumper with over a minute left in the third, as she scored all six of Rector's points in the period. Bay added five more points, but the Lady Cougars were in a comfortable position, heading into the fourth with a 42-24 lead.

It was strictly academic in the fourth, as Rector cruised to its first-ever NEA Tournament Championship. The win improved the squad to 14-5 overall on the season.

Three Lady Cougars reached double figures in scoring on the afternoon. Parsley led the way with 20 points. Calhoun netted 14 points, while Haynes had 11 in the win. Other scorers were Smart six, Gipson three and Sarah Fannin two.

Meghan Mink and Jordan Ferguson led Bay with eight points each.

The win is a historic mark for the Lady Cougars. With a number of talented teams over the years, no other squad has come away with the top prize from the holiday's biggest stage.

"Winning this tournament, it's huge for us," Rabjohn said. "I think we're all on cloud nine right now. This is one of the biggest and best tournaments of the year. To come in here and win it all is an amazing feeling. It's a testament to how hard these girls have worked."

It's also a nice way to prepare for the upcoming conference clashes which traditionally follow the holiday break.

"This is a big momentum boost for us," Rabjohn said. "With the conference about to pick up, this is the type of thing which gives us an important lift in confidence."

Parsley, Calhoun and Haynes were named to the All-NEA Tournament Team for their strong play.

"I'll put those three girls up against any other team's top three," Rabjohn says. "They're all very good players. Each one has a lot of knowledge and a great feel for the game. We wouldn't be here without them."

Road to the Finals

The Lady Cougars advanced to the final game with an impressive 54-41 win over Cedar Ridge Friday and a 61-44 win over Hillcrest on Wednesday.

Tight defensive pressure and an outstanding performance at the free throw line set the tone for Rector, as the team led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter in their meeting with Cedar Ridge.

The Lady Cougars forced Cedar Ridge, the tourney's number two seed, into nine turnovers in the third and fourth quarters, causing a total of 15 miscues in the game.

"We were able to get after them with our press," Rabjohn said. "That opened up some opportunities for easy baskets in transition which I thought really got us going."

Free throws were also kind to Rector. As a team, the Lady Cougars connected on 16 of 19 attempts from the line. Gipson took the most advantage of the streak of hot shooting, going a perfect eight of eight from the stripe.

Parsley and Gipson paced the Lady Cougar offense, scoring 20 and 14, respectively. Gipson notched a double-double, also ripping down 12 rebounds to match her jersey number. Other scorers for Rector were Calhoun eight, Haynes six, Smart five and Stephanie DeMent one.

Chelsey Ballard led Cedar Ridge with 14 points in the loss.

Rabjohn feels his team's spirited play in the latter portions of the semifinal set the tone for things to come later.

"Looking back at that game now, it's easy to see what we're capable of on both sides of the court. That's probably the best we've shot free throws since I've been here. Those 16 points were the difference in the ball game.

"Defensively, we were able to avoid foul trouble and keep our press on them late. They had a hard time breaking through and that certainly put momentum in our favor."

The win also highlighted the continued strong play of Gipson. The 6-1 senior has been one of the most improved players on the team over the past two seasons.

"Rachael has really been stepping up for us. We were looking for someone else to step up and be a big time contributor and she's doing just that. I don't know that I've ever had one player improve more than she has. It's great. We need her to come out and play well for us."

Rector picked up a 61-44 win over Hillcrest in second round action last Wednesday.

Outside of trailing 2-0 for the game's first minute-and-a-half, the Lady Cougars led throughout: 13-8; 21-14 and 36-20.

Four Lady Cougars reached double figures in the win. Parsley led the way with 19 points. Calhoun, Haynes and Gipson scored 13, 12 and 11, respectively. Smart added four, while DeMent notched two to round out the scoring for Rector.

The Lady Cougars will return to regularly scheduled action this Thursday, as they visit Marked Tree. Then, Rector's slated to host Marmaduke beginning at 6 p.m. next Monday.