AM
Richlands at Tazewell
Richlands (69) Vs. Tazewell (58)
Jan 12, 2012
By LARRY HYPES
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
TAZEWELL, Va. — For a dramatic second, the game appeared Taylor made.
In overtime, however, it was Momma Cassie to the rescue as Richlands rallied for a 69-58 Southwest District overtime win over Tazewell Thursday.
Trailing by 17 points (42-25) with 3:30 remaining in the third stanza, the Lady Bulldogs made a remarkable comeback, finally tying the score on Taylor Catron’s three-pointer from the top of the key which was in the air as the buzzer sounded to tie the score at 52-all after four quarters.
Richardson then stepped up in OT and coolly scored nine points to lead the way to victory for the Lady Blues (6-3, 2-1), who raced past Tazewell 17-6 in overtime.
Steady Brittany Allen, consistently making plays for RHS, had a dazzling effort to keep Richlands in good position almost all night. Allen, who dropped in 10-of-11 at the line, finished with a game-high 23 points.
Catron, who hit three treys, led a quartet of Lady Dogs with double-digit scoring (12 points), but Tazewell could not overcome a mid-game chill when Richlands broke open a tight first half with a box-out defense and steady shooting. Rachel Alley worked hard inside for the Lady Blues.
“We didn’t want to lose,” smiled Richardson. “Defensively, we worked our triangle-and-1 and triangle-and-two, mixed in a little 1-3-1 and tried to keep their shooters like Taylor Catron and Whitney Saunders off balance as much as we could. Then, the other thing we had to do was make our free throws.”
Make them, indeed. Richlands was on fire at the line, hitting 25-of-29 foul shots including Allen (10-of-11) and Richardson (9-for-10) in a withering barrage that started in the first quarter and lasted right into the extra period.
The teams traded buckets early. Haley Bradshaw’s basket pushed Tazewell in front 10-9 before Rachel Alley’s turnaround in the lane gave RHS an 11-0 advantage and then Richardson popped in a three in the final half-minute of the opening quarter as the Blues jumped in front 14-10.
Tazewell would not lead again until Autumn Hash’s basket to open the overtime.
“We played hard and got some good defense late in the game,” said Tazewell coach Jason Southworth. “We had a little lapse but overcame that. Our girls played hard and I’d go into battle with them anytime with an effort like that.”
Catron’s trey cut the margin to 22-21 with :30 to play in the half but Jordyn Cole fired up a three-ball from the corner in the closing seconds to answer for Richlands.
Cold shooting and good RHS defense helped push the Lady Blues to what
looked a commanding lead midway through the second half before Tazewell began a comeback.
Fueled by Whitney Saunders’ coast-to-coast scoring and the inside play of Katie Snapp, the Lady Dogs chipped away. Catron seemed to be everywhere at once to help control the tempo and Richlands cooled off at the same time.
Catron’s free throw cut the margin to 48-47 but Richardson stepped to the line on the next series and drilled home a pair of charity shots. Catron then found Hash underneath for a score.
Allen’s turn came and she answered at the other end with two foul shots, giving RHS a 3-point lead with :5 seconds left. Catron had just enough time to weave her way to the top of the arc and make the shot that sent the crowd on both sides to its feet.
“When I got the ball, I knew we had to come up court and score three or the game was over,” said Catron, who led the team with 12 points. “When I let it go, I was not sure but I knew the buzzer went off after I shot and then when it went it the feeling was indescribable. They (Richlands) just played harder than we did in overtime, though. We got back in the game by picking each other up. No one player makes this go — it’s everybody,” she said.
Blue coach Dennis Palmer was relieved and happy.
“I didn’t realize we were THAT good from the free throw line,” he laughed. “That was decisive for sure. We got a 15-17 point lead in the second but Tazewell would not go away. They really battled and Taylor made a fantastic shot at the end. My players, though, were terrific and I am so proud of them for doing what had to be done on the road to get this win.”
Allen seemed to steady the Lady Blues and was glad her efforts paid off.
“We were ready to play,” she noted. “When Tazewell cut me off with a box-and-one, I knew somebody else would be open and we took what they gave us. My teammates got open and they got the job done. We knew we had to make free throws. I practice about four days a week with coach (Ronnie) Davis shooting 200 free throws a day. I wanted to go the line. Shooting just 11 is not as hard,” she laughed.
Saunders and Hash finished with 11 points each for Tazewell and Hash grabbed 9 rebounds. Catron had three boards, two assists, and a pair of steals.
Snapp said, “We all stand together. This was an important district game and we didn’t want to lose it but Richlands is always tough to beat and they did what they had to.”
Richlands travels to Lebanon Saturday while Tazewell hosts Abingdon on Tuesday.

at Tazewell Middle School
RICHLANDS
Montana Hearl 2, Mackenley Davis 4, Cassie Richardson 22, Brittany Allen 23, Jordyn Cole 8, Kellie Hess 2, Rachel Alley 8. Totals 16 4 25-29 69.
TAZEWELL
Haley Bradshaw 6, Bre Sparks 4, Taylor Catron 12, Katie Snapp 10, Whitney Saunders 11, Haley Christian 4, Autumn Hash 11. Totals 19 4 8-14 58.
Richlands.....................14 11 17 10 17 — 69
Tazewell........................10 11 10 21 6 — 58
Three-point goals: R, 4 (Cole 2, Richardson, Allen); T, 4 (Catron 3, Saunders). Fouled out: none.
Nightly Roundup
Jan 12, 2012 Nightly Roundups
Game Scoreboard
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT SCORE
Richlands 14 11 17 10 17 69
Tazewell 10 11 10 21 6 58
Home | Game Schedules | Archive Coverage
Player of the Week | Bounce Blog | Memorable Matchups
www.BDTBounce.com
Copyright © BDTBounce.com
All rights reserved. Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form.
Site Designed By: MotionLX, LLC