LE ROY — A win is a win, Jeff True chuckled Thursday. “No matter how ugly it was.” True’s Southern Coffey County Lady Titans opened the 2021-22 season with a flourish, racing to leads of 10-2 and 19-5. Visiting Crest mounted a charge in the second half, but drew no closer than 20 in a 41-21 defeat. Both teams will embark on tournament play next week, with Crest heading to Humboldt for games Monday, Thursday and Friday. Southern Coffey County will be in Melvern for the Marais des Cygnes Valley Invitational those same nights. Another defensive effort like Thursday’s would suit True just fine. The Lady Titans hounded Crest, particularly in the early going. The Lady Lancers made a single field goal in each of the first and second quarters, and trailed by as many as 27 in the third quarter before mounting a comeback. “I’d like to think our defense had something to do with them being a little off,” True said. “All in all, other than silly fouls, we had a pretty good game defensively.” “We just couldn’t make our shots,” added Crest head coach Caleb Powelson, making his head coaching debut. “We shot less than 10% from the field. We’ll have nights like that. It’s one of those things. You’ve gotta make some shots.” Crest actually had fewer turnovers than did SCC, Powelson noted. “That doesn’t happen often when you lose by 20.” Southern Coffey County’s Josie Weers was the early instigator. She scored all 10 of her team’s points in the first quarter, en route to a game-high 19-point night.. “Josie is gonna be solid for us all year,” True predicted. “She really got us off to a good start.” Meanwhile, SCC’s Jalea True was a force inside, scoring 10 points and gathering several crucial offensive rebounds. Crest’s cold shooting notwithstanding, Powelson was pleased with his team’s effort, particularly in the second half. Then, it was Crest’s turn to put the kibosh on the Lady Titan offensive attack, by attacking the passing lanes and converging on the post whenever SCC attempted to get to the hoop. “The girls did a good job tonight,” Powelson said. “They played their hearts out. They did the best they could. We’ll keep working, keep grinding.”
LE ROY — A win is a win, Jeff True chuckled Thursday. “No matter how ugly it was.”
