Rangers varsity teams fall in openers; Ramsey gets her 2,000th Career Point

Published 10:35 pm Saturday, November 19, 2022

By Ron Marvel

Star Correspondent

Both teams started off slow, as the first points of the game didn’t come until the 4:38 mark of the first quarter, as Lyndie Ramsey found open space and hit the 3-pointer. Cosby would then follow up with a bucket of their own before Ramsey would hit a backhand layup to give the Rangers the lead at 5-3. A couple of buckets would be exchanged and a couple of free throws would end the first quarter at an 8-6 advantage Rangers. The second period would continue much like the first, with both teams having a difficult time getting their footing; both the Rangers and Eagles would have multiple unforced turnovers and travels that would pause their offensive game plans. Katelyn Dugger would get on the board with a layup, but Cosby would respond with a layup of their own to end the first quarter with the Rangers up 8-6.

The second quarter would see Katelyn Dugger score first to give the Lady Rangers a 10- 6 lead but on the next possession, the Eagles would respond with a perimeter three to take their first lead of the night at 10-9. The Eagles lead would then increase to 16-10 off a three by Ali Smith. Lyndie Ramsey would try to pull her Lady Rangers back with a jump shot along the baseline and then hit a high arching layup off the assist from Haley Taylor with 1.6 seconds left to make the half-time score 16-15.

The first three minutes of the third period would see the two teams exchange baskets and the Lady Rangers taking the lead off a Ramsey Layup 24-23. Unfortunately for the Lady Rangers the game shifted at the 5:45 mark of the third as Shylee Shelton would catch fire in the quarter, hitting four 3-pointers in a row. The Lady Rangers would struggle all night with the perimeter passing of the Lady Eagles as they would go on a 16-0 run off several open shots, which would push a one-point game to a 17-point advantage. In the midst of the Eagle run Lyndie Ramsey would hit a 3-pointer giving the Senior Lady Ranger her 2,000th point of her career. Shylee Shelton would hit her final three in the quarter to extend the Lady Eagles lead to 46-29, which would give the Eagles 30 points in the quarter.

The Lady Eagles would keep their foot on the throttle, pushing the lead to 22 before Ramsey would hit a fadeaway jumper and a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 54- 38. It would be as close as the Lady Rangers would get on the night. Giving the game its final score, in the Lady Rangers debut, 67-41. The Rangers would finish the evening shooting 10-16 on the night, while the Lady Eagles would finish 22-48 and 10/15 from behind the arc. After the game, Coach Chambers would take time to talk about his young Lady Ranger team, “Cosby is a good shooting team if you leave them open, they will hit shots,” “we are young, but we are learning we have to do a better job of taking care of the ball.” Coach Chambers would also talk about the accomplishments of Senior Lyndie Ramsey, “Proud of her, she is the first one here every day, it explains why she is who she is” When asked about her 2,000 career points, Lynde Ramsey would reflect on her team, “It means a lot, the hard work, but wouldn’t be here without my teammates, we are a young team right, but we are getting better every day.”

On the night, Lyndie Ramsey scored 27 and Katelyn Dugger chipped in 8; Shelton scored a game-high 37, including eight 3-pointers.

The Lady Rangers will be on the road against South Greene Saturday.

The second game of the evening saw the Rangers Boys in their debut as well, going down to the Eagles 79-58. It was a physical foul-laden game that saw both teams commit 39 total fouls.  The game served as a reminder that many of these boys had just got off the football field. Missing starters Landen Ramsey and Josie Blamo due to football injuries, the Rangers would battle and hustle all night, but they would often be out-rebounded, leading to offensive put-backs for the Cosby Eagles. Unaka would also struggle with shooting on the night, as several lay-ups simply wouldn’t go down. Coach Dugger saw some positives tonight “we are missing some key contributors, but my hope is this gives our younger guys some minutes that will make them better as the season progresses; it gets no easier tomorrow on the road against Volunteer.” On what improvements he’s looking for, Dugger added, “We can’t miss easy ones around the rim, shooting and free-throws must improve and they have to work on some of this on their own. Marcus Shomaker led the Ranger with 18 points on the night and Mason Wilson added 16 points, hitting four 3-pointers.