The Penn Lady Kingsmen Girls Basketball team came up just short against the No. 7 ranked Lady Panthers of South Bend Washington 52-50 in a down-to-the-wire conference match-up. This clash of the NIC title favorites definitely lived up to its expectations and, despite the loss, definitely showcased Penn’s ability to compete against anyone in the state.
The Lady Kingsmen were led by senior sharpshooter Jessa Troy, who scored 16 points and connected on five 3-pointers. Freshman Lexi Werner contributed 14 points, including a step-back 3 at the buzzer. Junior Anna Sachire added 10 points and team-highs in rebounds (8) and steals (4).
SB Washington came out firing, taking a 20-11 lead after the first quarter. The Lady Kingsmen fought to cut into the lead a little bit in the second quarter, but still went into halftime down 31-20. Penn rallied in the second half, outscoring the Lady Panthers 30-21, but it just wasn’t enough.
“We knew going into this game it would be very competitive for 32 minutes. Washington is a tough, good team so we were all ready to punch back once they made a run. They had their runs, but I think we did a good job of responding with our own runs. Obviously the end result wasn’t what we were hoping for, but I don’t think anyone can say we didn’t fight back or bring the effort needed to perform well,” Troy said after the game.
Due to the recent sectional realignment and Penn joining Sectional 3, the Lady Kingsmen are very likely to see the Lady Panthers again. SB Washington has won the Sectional 3 title the past two years, but the addition of Penn is sure to make their road to the championship much more difficult.
Not only was this game a good showing for the Lady Kingsmen, it was also a big night for sophomore Quinn Driscoll, who scored her first varsity points in the contest. Driscoll averages 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds for Penn’s JV team and added two points to the Lady Kingsmen effort.
“It was really exciting and unexpected. All I could think about was not wanting to miss the layup,” Driscoll said jokingly following the game.
The Lady Kingsmen won’t have much time at all to dwell on the loss as they hit the road tomorrow, where they look to bounce back against Crown Point at 7:30 EST.
