NEW MARKET — Southmont was shutdown in the first half of a 56-25 loss to Seeger on Friday night in girl’s basketball action.
Over the final 5:27 of the first quarter, the entire second quarter, and into the third, the Mounties went 14 minutes and 56 seconds without a field goal. “Our first 16 minutes were awful. No effort and no energy,” Southmont coach Dustin Oakley said. “It was a terrible effort, our turnovers were sloppy. We just didn’t move the ball very well as a team.” Lilly Ward gave the Mounties a 4-3 lead at the 5:27 mark in the first quarter, and Southmont was unable to convert another shot attempt until Addi Charles scored with 6:31 left in the third quarter to make it 29-8 Patriots. At the other end, the Patriots turned a 4-3 deficit into a 29-6 halftime lead. Kiley White and Sydney Sexton hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the first quarter to push Seeger’s lead to 14-4 after eight minutes. Emily Shrader scored consecutive buckets in the second quarter to make it 21-4. The junior led all scorers with 11, while Avery Cole added 10. Trailing 45-17, Southmont (4-12) went on a 4-0 run midway through the fourth quarter behind free throws from Claire Remley and Hannah Thompson, but the Patriots put any comeback hopes for the Mounties to rest with a 9-0 run. For the game, Seeger (16-3) connected on 17-of-37 shots, while the Mounties shot just 24-percent from the field. Seeger held its own defensively. The win over the Mounties marks the 13th time this season the Patriots have held an opponent to under 30 points. Oakley believes the struggling Mounties chances at success continue to run through the defense, but knows someone is going to have to step up and lead offensively. “We just need someone who wants the ball,” he said. “To be aggressive and face the basket, and make an aggressive move to the basket or make something happen for another teammate.” Lilly Ward and Thompson each had five points to lead Southmont. The Mounties return to the floor at home on Tuesday against North Putnam at 7:30 p.m. Seeger hosts North Montgomery at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Seeger 14 15 13 14 — 56 Southmont 4 2 9 10 -— 25 Seeger (16-3): Riley Shrader 2 1-1 5, Kiley White 3 1-1 8, Izzi Puterbaugh 0-0 2-2 2, Allison High 3 1-3 7, Avery Cole 4 1-1 10, Emily Shrader 4 3-4 11, Sydney Sexton 3 0-0 9, Karis Sosnowski 1 2-4 4; Totals 17-37 11-16 56 Southmont (4-12): Hailey France 1 0-3 2, Bailey Thompson 0 0-0 0, Emma Ward 0 0-0 0, Lilly Ward 2 2-2 6, Hannah Thompson 1 2-2 5, Lexi Rusk 0 0-0 0, Addi Charles 2 0-0 4, Belle Miller 1 0-0 2, Natalie Manion 2 0-1 4, Claire Remley 0 2-2 2; Totals 9-37 6-9 25 3-point shooting: Seeger 5-14 (Sexton 3, Cole, White, R. Shrader), Southmont 1-11 (H. Thompson) Rebounds: Seeger 29, Southmont 27 Turnovers: Seeger 16, Southmont 23