Altamont drains 13 3-pointers in win over South Central
Jan. 8—Perimeter shooting paced the Altamont girls basketball team on Thursday night.
The Lady Indians (9-10, 3-3 National Trail Conference) drilled 13 three-pointers in an 80-52 rout of South Central (9-8, 2-3 National Trail Conference). Grace Nelson made five, Skylie Klein made four, and Peyton Osteen made three.
"We shoot well from home, but we were able to shoot well because we found people with better passes," Altamont head coach Katie Lurkins said. "Good shooting teams are good passing teams, and I thought the girls did a good job looking for their shot. I've always said, 'You have a green light until I tell you to stop,' and the best way to get out of a shooting slump is to shoot your way out.
"Skylie Klein was huge tonight. Peyton Osteen opened it up big-time in that first quarter by hitting some big shots, which allowed some other stuff to open up."
Altogether, the trio of Nelson, Klein, and Osteen combined for 71 of the team's 80 points, too. Nelson had 43, Klein had 15, and Osteen had 13.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn Garrett led the Lady Cougars with 21 points and 21 rebounds, while Taegan Webster finished with 15 points. They were the only two players to reach double-figures in points.
THE TRAINING ROOM
South Central entered the contest without senior Halle Smith — who was ill — and the injury report only grew after the game, as Laney Webster went down in the second quarter before being helped off by the medical staff. She did not return.
Overall, Lurkins said that she knows the feeling, stating that Thursday was the first game that her team was fully healthy in over one month.
"That was us throughout December," Lurkins said. "It's just how everything goes. Sometimes you get beat up. I told the girls that I didn't want us looking at the score; we had to use this game to improve. This is an opportunity for us to continue to work on our mindsets. I said that our goal is to peak at the postseason, and it's January now, so we're starting that uphill climb, and I thought that we did a good job of re-focusing, especially in that second half, about eliminating some of our problems."
UP NEXT
Altamont returns to the court Saturday at Woodlawn, while South Central plays at Shelbyville. The Lady Indians' game starts at 11:30 a.m., while the Lady Cougars start at 10.
Contact EDN Sports Editor Alex Wallner at 217-347-7151 ext. 124 or alex.wallner@effinghamdailynews.com.
