By Kory Carpenter

Record Sports Editor

The Wright City girls basketball team couldn’t overcome a depleted roster Thursday night, falling to Bowling Green, 54-21.

The Wildcats (2-5) handled the Bowling Green pressure early, moving the ball well and hanging within seven points.

But with senior guard Champayne Hunter and sophomore forward Alyssa Hart out with sickness, Wright City didn’t have the depth to hold on.

“They’re a really good team,” Head Coach Fred Ross said of Bowling Green. “But we played a really good half. I was pleased with that. We hustled well and ran our offense, but the attrition just got us as the game went on.”

Ross liked what he saw from his team’s press break, as the Wildcats committed just four turnovers against the press in the first half.

Bowling Green led 13-6 after one quarter, and extended its lead to 34-11 at halftime.

“The first quarter was great, it was the best we’ve ever played,” Senior guard Savannah Bridges said. “After that, we got lazy and tired. We were out of shape.”

Bridges finished with 10 points, and leads the Wildcats in scoring this season.

Without Hunter and Hart, Wright City played eight players, five of which were underclassmen.

Freshman guard Melina Campbell and sophomore guard Kia Campbell impressed Ross in limited action.

Sophomore forward Abbey Jaspering finished with six points, junior guard Amy Janowski scored three and sophomore guard Jada Hunter added two.

“I told them we played them well in the first half,” Ross said. “We were in the bonus in the first quarter because they were chasing us because we were moving the ball so well in the press break. But once we got tired and they brought a fresh five in, it started getting ugly there at the end.”

Bowling Green led 48-14 heading into the fourth quarter, before slowing the game down in the final minutes.

“We didn’t want a running clock, which happened,” Bridges said. “But the first quarter we played well, so that was good.”

Ross hopes to use the progress made in the first quarter to show his player’s their potential when everything is clicking.

“If we would have played how we did in the first half against different teams, we could win,” he said.

Wright City plans on implenting new defenses and a few more offensive sets over the holidays, while getting the roster healthy heading into the second semester. 

The Wildcats face Monroe City Jan. 4 in the first round of the Clopton Tournament.

“Our kids worked hard and kept going until the end,” Ross said. “We had some good things, and we have some things we need to work on and figure out.”