Prairie City 49, Long Creek 23

PRAIRIE CITY – With seniors Lindy Black and Melenie Teague hobbled by foot injuries, it was up to the underclassmen to carry the load when Prairie City squared off against Long Creek in a TriCo League basketball matchup on Saturday, Jan. 15.

Black continues to have problems with a nagging ankle injury that has plagued her since the volleyball season, and when Teague suffered what appeared to be a strained arch in practice, the seven-person Lady Panthers’ squad could have been in trouble.

However, sophomore Danielle Ricco scored a career-high 22 points and junior Kayla Reid added 15 as the Lady Panthers moved to 6-2 in league games with a 49-23 win over Long Creek.

The Lady Panthers forced 15 turnovers in the first half and held the Lady Mountaineers to just four points, racing out to a 22-4 halftime lead.

Ricco tallied 10 points in the first half on four field goals and a pair of free throws.

“We worked really hard as a team and my teammates helped me along,” Ricco said.

The third quarter belonged to Reid as she dominated the action at both ends of the court pouring in nine points while being a major force on the boards.

Heading into the final eight minutes of action, the Lady Panthers were cruising behind a 33-11 lead.

In the fourth quarter Ricco came to the forefront, scoring nine points and sophomore Bradi Voigt tallied the lone three-pointer of the contest as part of a 15-point effort.

Long Creek (1-7), also got its offense going in the fourth quarter scoring 12 points.

Jennifer Lynall scored nine points to lead the Lady Mountaineers.