Lady Eagles Sweep The Northwest Lions 38-17

Once Sullivan head coach Jordan Flora rested most of his starters with 51.6 seconds left in the game, there were tears of joy and hugs as the Lady Eagles had broken an eight-game losing streak that had lingered for nearly a month.

Sullivan (6-19) capped off their regular season with a commanding 38-17 victory over Northwest (5-13) before heading into districts.

The Northwest game was initially scheduled for Jan. 22 but was postponed to a month later, on Thursday, Feb. 22. Sullivan High School also hosted Youth Recognition Night between the JV and varsity matches.

It was scoreless in the first three minutes until Hayli Venable set the aggressive tone with a layup and picked up Sullivan’s following two scores. She first stole Northwest’s possession, drew a foul for a free throw and afterward sank a 3.

Junior guard Molly Lohden followed Venable’s footsteps, stealing Northwest’s ball, then handed it to freshman guard Karlee Head, who laid it in for 2.

Junior forward Cora Shetley hit two free throws and, despite getting banged up, made a clutch layup to put Sullivan ahead 12-4 at the end of the first quarter.

The second period kicked off with another scoreless three minutes until Shetley broke the drought with a free throw and a layup, giving Sullivan a 15-4 lead.

Before halftime, the Lady Lions tallied five quick points by drawing four free throws, and Northwest junior guard Ameilia Lawrence hit a jumper. Head made Sullivan’s last score of the first half on a free throw, with Northwest trailing 16-10.

In the third quarter, Head and senior guard Delaney George handled the scoring while the Lady Eagles’ defense locked down the court. Head drew first blood on a free throw and followed it up by sinking a three. George was on fire, dropping in six free throws during the period.

Venable continued Sullivan’s momentum in the fourth quarter by sinking another three-pointer. She also kept making steals, and one of them allowed George to drive down for a layup. George would later also bank two more free throws.

After senior guard Raegan Johnson sailed in a three-pointer, Flora rested most of his starters with 51.6 seconds left on the clock. This allowed freshman guard Olivia Barton to come off the bench and put the final nail in the coffin with a free throw.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition.