Pellizzer, Lady Bears shoot down Lady Aggies
Feb. 8—BOONEVILLE — Kossuth was giving the 3-point shot, so Alcorn Central kept taking it and making it.
The Lady Bears shot 13 of 39 (33.3%) from behind the arc and ran away with a 68-37 win in the semifinals of the Division 1-3A Tournament on Wednesday night at Bonner Arnold Coliseum.
These teams met three times during the regular season, with Alcorn Central (19-7) winning two of them.
"We're not a 3-point shooting team," Central coach Alan Wood said. "... We hurt them inside the first three games, and they were trying to stop that. They pretty much forced us to shoot outside, and it worked out for us tonight."
The Lady Bears started chucking from the get-go. They were 6 of 18 from downtown in the first quarter in building a 23-9 lead. It was 44-24 at halftime, by which point Central was 9 of 24.
Junior guard Ellie Pellizzer set the pace early, scoring 12 of her team-high 15 points in the first quarter — all on 3-pointers.
"We've been waiting on Pellizzer all year, and she stepped up, and we knew she could," Wood said.
Alcorn Central was just as dominant on the defensive end. Kossuth (14-11) committed 27 turnovers and shot just 11 of 40 (27.5%) from the field, including 4 of 19 (21.1%) from 3-point range.
Senior Anna Greene, a dangerous sniper, didn't even have a field goal attempt until the second quarter. She finished with 16 points.
"Central's one of the best defensive teams we've played all year. That's what they do," Kossuth coach Rick Hodum said.
Senior point guard Olivia Walker had a big influence on both ends of the floor for Central. She finished with eight points, 11 rebounds and three steals.
"The Walker kid, really and truly, may be the best defensive player in north Mississippi," Wood said.
The win guarantees the Lady Bears a home playoff game in the first round. They'll face Booneville on Friday for the division championship.
Three-Pointers
Turning Point: Kossuth could never recover from Central's big first quarter.
Point Maker: Pellizzer was 5 of 14 from the field, with all her attempts coming from 3-point range.
Talking Point: "We just played hard on defense. We just played man on two of them (Greene and Dacy Kate Marsh), and it took them down." — Pellizzer
