Parsley reaches 1,000 points, lifts girls over rival Marmaduke

The long string of classic meetings between the Rector Lady Cougars and the Marmaduke Lady Greyhounds continued Monday night in Rector. The two squads met in a non-conference game which was highly contested. In the end, the Lady Cougars came away with a 49-40 win over their rival, thanks in large part to a stellar performance at the free throw line and a strong outing by senior Hannah Parsley.

Parsley finished with a game-high 21 points en route to reaching the 1,000 total points mark for her high school career.

"Hannah's just a special player," Rector head coach Matt Rabjohn said. "She works extremely hard to be the best she can. Scoring 1,000 points in her career just goes to show how hard she works and what she's meant to this team."

As a team, the Lady Cougars have struggled at the free throw line over the past few years. However, those woes looked to be behind them Monday night, as the team shot a perfect 13-13 from the charity stripe. Parsley again led the way, sinking seven of seven attempts.

Not only did Rector make their free throws, they buried them when they mattered the most. Marmaduke closed to within two points, 42-40, with just over three minutes left to play. The Lady 'Hounds were unable to climb any closer and were forced to foul late.

"Free throws have been kind of a grey area for us in the past," Rabjohn said. "We've put in a lot of time at the line during practice in order to get better. The girls have also taken it upon themselves to spend extra time working on them. We knew it was something we needed to work on and we have. There's no more proof of that effort than hitting your free throws down the stretch in a close game with a rival."

The two squads were ready to play, with both teams giving a strong effort. Rector clung to a 29-25 halftime lead. Marmaduke closed to within 36-34 heading into the final frame.

"Whenever Marmaduke and Rector play, you can throw the records and stats out the window," Marmaduke head coach Spencer Hoffman said. "It's such a strong rivalry. I think it's one of the games the kids look forward to the most, as well as the fans."

Marmaduke had a pair of strong performers of its own. Chelsea Drope, 16 points, and Crissy Crawford, 13 points, gave strong accounts of themselves on the night.

"Marmaduke's always tough to get a win against," Rabjohn said. "Coach Hoffman always has his team ready to play. They're not going to give much. They really make you work."

Also scoring for the Lady Cougars were Amber Haynes nine, Racheal Gipson eight, Allison Smart five, Hillary Calhoun four and Stephanie DeMent two.

Other Marmaduke scorers included Kelsey Reagans six, Jamie Ricker three, Rachel Morton one and Tristan Clayton one.

Rector also claimed the junior girls game, 35-25.

Heather Scott finished with a game-high 10 points for the Junior Lady Cougars. Also scoring for Rector were Allison Duncan nine, Rhoda Classen eight, Kristie Hardin three, Brittany Lockhart two and Kelly Fowler two.

Mercedez Jones led Marmaduke with eight points in the loss. Also scoring for the young Lady 'Hounds were Anna Best seven, Megan Nolen seven and Alexis Jones three.

Rector is scheduled to host Riverside beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday.