Lady Gales continue outstanding play, cruises past Logan, 67-33
LANCASTER — Success doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a lot of hard work and determination, and for the Lancaster girls’ basketball team, thanks to the work they put in during the offseason, they are now reaping those rewards.
The Lady Gales put the fruits of their labor on display Saturday night against visiting Logan. Lancaster looked sharp in all facets of the game and had three players score in double figures and six players scored at least seven points or more.
The Gales started strong and never let up in a dominating 67-33 non-conference win over the Chieftains.
Lancaster improved to 6-1 overall, which is their best start to the season in more than 15 years. A year ago, the Gales only had six wins the entire season.
“There is a different mindset and winning is giving us that extra boost of confidence,” junior guard Kara Weaver said. “You can see everyone get more and more comfortable with each game. Everyone played their part and we all gave great effort, and it all starts in practice.
“We all want to get better, and we know to do that, we get after it every day in practice and that is paying off. We were also in the gym every day putting in work in the offseason and now it’s paying off.”
Lancaster took a 16-9 first quarter lead, and the Gales seemed to get better as the game went on, and it didn’t matter who was in the game, including the bench players. Lancaster led 36-17 at halftime and increased its lead to 53-26 heading into the fourth quarter.
“We got momentum early and we have been preaching when we get momentum, we want to keep it on our side, and I think our girls are growing and getting better each game,” Lancaster coach Dusty Miller said.
Defensively, the Gales forced 24 turnovers, and more times than not, they turned them into points.
Offensively, the impressive thing for the Gales was the fact they have several different players who can score, inside and outside. Lancaster finished with nine 3-pointers. The night before, in a win at Central Crossing, the Gales connected on 12 threes. Against the Chieftains, six different players had at least one 3-pointer.
Weaver led a balanced attack with 15 points, including two 3s. Jenna Grabans finished with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists and Peyton Wilson had 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Kylie Phillips connected on a three 3-pointers to finish with nine points and freshman Emalene Chevalier came off the bench to score nine points. Chandler Crowell added seven points.
“We have multiple girls that can score for us, but it all goes back to how hard our girls worked in the offseason,” Miller said. “They put the time in the gym and it’s showing. They feed off each other. As a coach, it’s nice knowing that on any given night, we have different girls capable of putting up big numbers.
“We had a great summer and our girls were committed to putting in the work and getting better. They get after it every day in practice and we never have to get on them because they give great effort every day. They want to have success.”
The Gales will get their next chance on Friday when they host Groveport in an Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division game.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Lady Gales continue outstanding play by cruising past Logan, 67-33
