Lady Indians earn split in Rutherfordton

Coach Stacey Parris hoped to use this weekend's Lady Hilltopper Classic as a springboard into her young Gaffney squad's second half of its schedule.

Apparently the holiday season can give you unwanted gifts.

The coach has mixed feelings about her Lady Indians after two games at the holiday tournament in Rutherfordton, with her team earning a split against North Carolina competition.

A routine schedule is key for teams, and last week's Christmas holiday was to blame for Gaffney's slow start in its opener against Charlotte's Harding High School.

While her team was able to keep things close throughout, the Lady Indians could not seem to get over the hump, falling 49-48 to the squad from the Tar Heel State.

Keisha Leach led the way for Gaffney with 16 points, with Ashley Tate also contributing 11 in the losing cause.

The Lady Indians had an opportunity to win in the final seconds of the contest, but were unable to find the touch from the field when it mattered most.

"It was encouraging to know we had a chance to win," Parris said. "It makes me wonder what would have happened if we didn't have a few of those 'holiday cobwebs.'

"When you play a good team you can't give them extra possessions, but I believe it got our legs back under us and prepared for the next game."

Not the performance the coach was expecting from her team, the Lady Indians were able to muster up enough offense to hold off Phillip O. Berry Academy of Charlotte on Saturday, winning 30-28.

While holiday jitters were to blame for her team's performance in the Lady Hilltopper Classic opener, Parris could not exactly pinpoint the reason for their shooting woes in the second of the three game set.

"We're absolutely happy to win, but we definitely didn't do our best on the offensive end of the floor," Parris said. "We didn't play well, but it was enough to come away with a 'W.'"

Gaffney will hope to claim a fifth place finish Monday vs. Crest at 3:30 p.m. at R.S. Central High School in Rutherfordton.

With a collision with Byrnes looming on Friday, the coach believes the contest against the Lady Chargers is exactly what the doctor ordered as the team prepares for the meat of its schedule- and hopefully a playoff run.

"We're taking things a game at a time," Parris said. "But our main goal is for the team to play well, and I hope it'll gives us what we need when we do face tough competition."