LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- The Covenant Lady Scots basketball team got a chance to play at home Thursday night for the second time this season, but the hopes of securing the team's first win disappeared at the hands of the visiting Piedmont College Lady Lions. Both teams met last December at Covenant, and the Lady Scots found a way to get the victory in a close game as the score ended 47-41. This season, the Lady Scots have faced a fierce opening schedule which included Berry College and Maryville College in a one week stretch and are thus still looking for the elusive first win. Against Piedmont, it was clear that the Lady Scots were looking for a good showing at home and, if possible, repeat the performance of last year, but the Lady Lions had other plans and dominated their way to the 64-41 victory.
From the opening tip, it was obvious that Covenant did not have the offensive prowess needed to threaten the athletic Lady Lions from Piedmont. Junior Margaret Cross hit a backdoor layup to score the Lady Scots opening points almost three minutes into the game, but the basket would be their only points until freshman Jessie Blankenship hit a jumper inside the 10 minute mark, moving the score to 16-4. Even with offensive woes, the Lady Scots did not lose heart. During the last seven and a half minutes, Covenant began to make baskets and was able to finish the half on a 15-7 run, bringing the game into a reachable distance. The half time score was 30-19 in favor of the visiting Lady Lions.
Freshman Jessie Blankenship led the Lady Scots with 8 points: 3-9 from the floor and hitting both of her free throws. Freshman Brittany Harvey hit both 3-pointers she attempted, giving her 6 points. Junior Hannah Craft grabbed 5 rebounds to lead all players in that category. The Lady Scots were bitten by the turnover bug as they gave the ball up 13 times in the first half, and the team could only manage 7-23 from the floor, a frigid 30.4 percent.
Covenant hit the first shot of the second half, bringing the Piedmont lead inside ten points for the first time since the 14:39 mark in the first half. But the Lady Lions were not about to hand the win to the Lady Scots. With their next possession, they pushed the lead back up to 11 points and did not look back. The advantage only increased in Piedmont's favor for the rest of the game. As the game came to a close, it was not the finish the Lady Scots were hopeful for. The elusive first win for the Covenant would have to wait at least one more game as the final score was 41-64.
The Lady Scots were led by Jessie Blankenship who finished the game with 12 points and 10 rebounds, her third double-double of the season. Sophomore Kiaira Cooper finished with 10 points of her own. Brittany Harvey added a layup to her two 3-pointers and finished with 8 points and a battle scar on her left cheek for her effort.
The Lady Scots stay at home this weekend as they take on Huntingdon College from Alabama Saturday at 2pm.
