By Stephen Henderson
It was a great first week for the Patrick County High School Lady Cougar basketball team; they picked up wins. Probably the biggest win of the week was against Hidden Valley; they defeated the Lady Titans 56-51. Friday, PC defeated North Stokes with a strong fourth quarter, beating the Lady Vikings 47-39.
According to first-year Head Coach Donny Rakes, Monday’s win over Hidden Valley was especially meaningful. “We had never beaten Hidden Valley. The defensive intensity was the difference in the ballgame,” he said.
”There were some first game jitters, some mistakes, particularly with patience, but all in all, a tremendous effort for the first time out,” Rakes said. “I really couldn’t be prouder of our effort, particularly on defense. Just a great team effort. We got contributions from the entire roster,” he said.
Patrick County led 16-14 at the end of the first quarter and maintained a three point lead at the half.
The Lady Cougars outscored the Lady Titans 14-8 in the third quarter to improve their lead to nine points.
Hidden Valley tried unsuccessfully to take the lead late in the game, but Patrick County maintained their lead to win by five points.
Sierra (CC) Hubbard had a great debut as a freshmen, scoring 19 points, 13 rebounds and four steals. Hannah Roberson added 13 points and Izzy Beasley scored 11 points.
“This was a solid start to the season,” Rakes said.
Friday, the Lady Cougars (as well as all varsity and JV basketball teams) traveled to North Stokes High School to play the Lady Vikings. The teams were tied 9-9 at the end of the first period, and the Lady Cougars outscored the Lady Vikings by three in the second. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter when Patrick County surpassed North Stokes by eight points to move into the lead and capture the game 47-39.
“It was a win, not a pretty win, but a win,” said Rakes. “It is a battle every time we go down there,” he added.
“There was a packed house that was very loud for both sides—which is everything you would want in a high school atmosphere,” Rakes explained. “Given the environment, I thought we gutted out a big win,” he said. “We really responded, particularly in the fourth quarter with 17 points,” Rakes said.
“Senior leadership was big in this game. Autumn Hubbard had 11 rebounds, four steals, four assists and five points—just a great leader. Alexus Cain had 11 rebounds and eight points,” Rakes said.
“Youth was also served as freshmen Sierra Hubbard had 15 points and 12 rebounds with nine huge points in the fourth quarter to put the game away,” Rakes said.
The Lady Cougars hosted Floyd County Tuesday. Friday, they host North Stokes (as do all JV and varsity basketball teams) with their game starting at 7 p.m.
