A Better Team: Lady Falcons win two to snap losing skid
SHORT GAP - The three-game stretch against Petersburg, Ripley, and Winfield resulted in three straight losses for Frankfort, but in the end, they are games that made Frankfort a better team moving forward. That ‘better team” got back into the win column in a big way with a 54-30 victory over regional rival Trinity Christian, and a 51-39 win over Moorefield back to back.
“Everybody is always happy when you win, that’s what I have to say about that. But, after three tough games, this is the team, potentially, that we may have to play to get to state. After playing three good teams, you could see a difference tonight, we just picked it up a notch,” Frankfort coach Steve Willison stated.
Willison cites the three straight losses as games that have helped the Lady Falcons.
“Even though we lost those games, we were in every one of them. Once we figure out how to win those games, I’ll feel real confident. It’s nice to get back on the winning track again,” Willison stated.
According to Willison, “Those games make you better. You could see tonight, they weren’t able to put any pressure on us. Plus, there was a speed difference. When we’re playing those bigger schools, they are very quick teams and we had to work hard. You could see a speed difference tonight, and that experience really helped our team.”
Frankfort dominated from the initial tip-off until the final buzzer sounded. The Columbia Blue and Silver led 15-5 at the end of the first quarter and 25-11 at the end of the first half.
A 20-point third quarter gave Frankfort a 45-19 lead entering the fourth quarter. In that fourth quarter, Trinity Christian outscored the Falcons 11-9, but it was too little, too late, as Frankfort earned the 54-30 victory.
Halley Smith led the way for the Falcons with 20 points, Larae Grove was next with 16 points, and Arin Lease third with 11 points. In addition, Grace Scott, McKenzie Long, Lily Mills and Avery Noel added two points apiece.
Trinity Christian is a team that could factor into whether Frankfort will advance to the state tournament. This win gives the Falcons confidence should the two teams meet again.
“It was on our court. But, if we do play them again, it would be at their court. I don’t want to play them again, I want to win our section and not have to hit the road. But, I feel good, we have the ability to beat that team and we proved it tonight. I think we can do it again if we have to,” Willison detailed.
Against Moorefield on Saturday, Frankfort was victorious by a score of 51-39. Halley Smith led the way with a 30-point performance, followed by Larae Grove with eight points and Arin Lease with seven points. In addition, Grace Scott tallied four points and Emily Smith two points.
Frankfort (9-3) next travels to Fort Hill on Wednesday, Jan. 26.
This article originally appeared on Mineral Daily News-Tribune: A Better Team: Lady Falcons win two to snap losing skid
