Lady Jackets outlasted by Rome in competitive early test
— It was only the second game of the season for the Rome and Calhoun girls teams, but it certainly didn’t feel like it based on the action on the court.
The two teams battled back- and- forth in a wild affair that featured several big runs for each side, but it was the Lady Wolves which had the final push, outscoring Calhoun 25-15 in the fourth quarter, including a 12-0 run late in the game, to earn a 74-65 victory at the Rome High Thanksgiving Tournament.
The Lady Wolves ( 2- 0) trailed 50-49 going to the fourth, but battled back to take a 60-56 lead midway through the period. After Calhoun (1-1) rallied to tie the game at 60-60, Rome ran off the next 12 points to take control and push them to the impressive, hard-fought win.
Rome head coach Jared Hughes said he was extremely pleased with how his team hung around in the game early on despite some heavy pressure by the Lady Jackets and eventually got back in it and closed it out strong for the win.
“It was a game of runs… they made a run on us with their pressure, and we didn’t do a fantastic job of handling that,“said Hughes. “But we made some adjustments that hurt them a little bit, and basically, I just think we endured what they were trying to do to us. Sometimes you just have to survive, and we made it to halftime only down by five or six, and then the composure my girls had in the fourth quarter was outstanding. That is something we were probably lacking last year. That’s what separated us from who we are now. The fact that we’re playing in rhythm, not trying to force anything. Our shots in the third and fourth quarter were open 3’s and lay-ups. We were patient, and we moved the ball around well.“
Rome led 8-3 early in the first quarter, but Calhoun rallied to score 17 straight points and take a 23-8 lead. The Lady Wolves then closed the quarter on a 7-0 run and scored the first bucket of the second to cut the deficit to six. Calhoun started to build a lead once again, getting it as high as 13, but Rome closed the gap to six at 41-35 as the teams went to the locker rooms for halftime.
The third quarter was tight the entire eight minutes with neither team leading by more than five points before Calhoun took their one-point lead to the fourth.
Rome was led by Taya Gibson, who had a huge night with 31 points. She scored 20 of those in the first half to keep her team within striking distance and then added seven big ones in the fourth as the Lady Wolves closed the game out.
“The scariest part about Taya is I don’t think she’s as good as she’s going to get,“said Hughes. “She is a great scorer, and the big thing tonight is that she played almost the whole game. She gets into foul trouble sometimes, and we really miss her on the court when she’s not out there. She’s definitely a gamechanger, and I’m proud of her effort tonight.“
Rome’s Re’Tavia Floyd added 16 with nine coming in the fourth quarter, and Savannah Atkins scored nine as she made three 3-pointers.
Calhoun’s leading scor- er on the night was Ashlyn Barnes, who put up a 25-spot as she had a 19-point first half. Jana Johns also had a big effort with 23, and the senior scored all 15 of Calhoun’s points in the final quarter. Ryan Brzozoski was the third Lady Jacket in double figures with 11.
Calhoun coach Jerry Pruett said it was a tough loss, but his team will use it to get better early in the season.
“When we got them to turn it over, it was good for us, but I think we ran out of gas a little in the fourth quarter and (Rome) made the final run to decide it,“said Pruett. “They seemed to get easy baskets in the fourth, and we settled for jump shots which we weren’t making. They did a better job against our press once they made adjustments and settled down, and we didn’t have an answer for No. 33 (Gibson).
“It’s like I told the girls, I’m disappointed in the loss, but I’m not disappointed in them. Hopefully, we’ll grow from it and get better. We did some good things and bad things tonight, but that is what it’s all about playing in these tough games in tournaments early in the season. It shows us where we’re at and what we need to work on. I would rather peak at the end of the season than in the first week.“
Calhoun was also back in action at Rome on Wednesday as they took on Allatoona.