Monday evening, the Somerset Christian Lady Cougar basketball team kicked off their first-ever season of KHSAA varsity basketball against the Lynn Camp Lady Wildcats. They have a very young team with mostly seventh and eighth graders and ultimately lost their first game 51-22, but have an enormous amount of potential.
The game started with a quick basket by junior Lauren Partin, as she scored four of the first six to give Lynn Camp a very fast 6-0 lead. A Lily Henzie basket following a turnover forced Somerset Christian head coach Gary Abbott to call for the timeout. Partin added another two before two from Cambree Prewitt. It looked like the quarter would end scoreless for the Cougars, but a three-pointer from Marlee Durham gave the Cougars their first points in KHSAA program history, as they trailed 12-3 after the first period.
Neither team scored for the first two minutes of the second before a basket from senior Emmaleigh Gray. Durham had another two halfway through the quarter, before the Lady Wildcats took over for the final four minutes of the half, going on an 8-0 run to take a 22-5 lead into the break with Durham having all five for the Lady Cougars.
The third quarter did not go much better for the young Cougar squad, as they were outscored 20-4 in the period. Partin had 11 of those 20 points, with Madison Weymers adding seven. The Cougars’ lone four points were split between Durham and Addie Waddle, as Lynn Camp had built a 44-9 advantage heading into the final eight minutes of action.
To their credit, the Lady Cougars played much better in the final quarter, outscoring their opposition 13-7. Waddle added six more points to her total, with Selah Scicchitano, more known for her volleyball prowess, hitting the first three-pointer of the season for the Cougars. Durham added two more to her team-high, with Sophia Bingham adding two. Despite playing better in the period, Somerset Christian still ultimately fell by a final score 51-22.
Durham led the way for the Cougars with nine points, with Waddle scoring eight while Scicchitano and Bigham added three and two respectively. Partin for the Lady Wildcats had the game-high with 23 points.
Somerset Christian begins the season with a record of 0-1, but the future is bright for these young ladies. They will next travel to Kentucky School for the Deaf on Tuesday evening.
