By Randy Arrington
SHENANDOAH, Jan. 20 — As they near the halfway point of the 2021 season, the Page County High School girls basketball team should be on the minds of every opponent in the Bull Run District.
“I feel great,” PCHS head coach E.J. Wyant said Wednesday night. “I think we’re playing really good team basketball.”
On Tuesday night, the Panthers had five players put up double-digits against visiting Rappahannock (0-6) in a lop-sided 70-37 win — and a sixth player posted nine points on the night.
On Wednesday night, the majority of Page’s points were spread out among four players in a 50-31 win over visiting Clarke County (1-4).
“We like how we’re playing, and where we are,” Coach Wyant said, “but we know there’s room for growth.”
Despite posting a 19-point margin of victory on Wednesday night, Page shooters had trouble in the paint. While the offense moved the ball well and hit players cutting to the basket, the Panthers missed a lot of shots in the lane.
“I really like that we are getting in there,” Coach Wyant said. “If we can get them to go in, we’ll be [scoring] in the 80s.”
Page County took control early in Wednesday night’s game against Clarke and never really looked back. The home team lead 17-11 after the first period, and then went on a 11-4 run in the second frame to lead 28-15 at the half. Page went on to outscore Clarke in every quarter and moved to 4-1 on the season.
Clarke County struggled all night from the floor, hitting only one shot in the second quarter and only three in both the third and fourth quarters. Clarke was lead by senior Alison Sipe with 11 points. Sipe fouled out of the game with 3:32 remaining.
Page County was lead by senior Taylor Hankins with 12 points. Senior Hannah Southers and junior Caris Lucas both added eight points, while freshman Adryn Martin came off the bench to score nine points.
“I am really proud of how Adryn Martin is playing as a freshman,” Coach Wyant said after Wednesday’s game.
Madison County (5-0) is the only team with a better record in the Bull Run District, with the exception of Luray (2-0). Page County, with a single loss to Stonewall Jackson in the season opener, is near the top of the standings with seven games remaining.
The Panthers are scheduled to play Madison only one time during the regular season — the last game of the season on Friday, Feb. 5. Page will face their county rivals in Luray on Thursday, Jan. 28 and Monday, Feb. 1.
Despite an average margin of victory of 18.5 points in their four wins, the Panthers know that they can be even better — and they know they will need to be, if they plan on going deep into the postseason.
Page County only dressed seven players this week, with two players out due to COVID-19 protocols. With five games under their belt, the Panthers have yet to play a game with their full roster.
As the Panthers get more reps and begin to fix the little things that will make them better — like better production in the paint — and they get their full roster back (hopefully by next week)… who knows what the unpredictable season of 2021 may hold for one of the most balanced teams in the region.
“If we play like we can play, I can see us going the distance,” Coach Wyant said. “I can see us there.”
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