Middletown South and Lacey faced off against each other in the Shore Conference Coaches Cup, Semifinal Round as both teams were under 500 coming into this matchup. Even though the record show right now, Middletown is still a talented team underneath coach Tom Brennan who has a lot of experience. They have tons of shooting on their team that includes Erin Mayerhofer, Caitlin Whyte and Amanda MacGregor. Lacey is also talented but a young team underneath coach Dawn Paget who also has tons of experience. They have shooting on this team with Ava Schmidt, Reece Paget and Brooklynn Bell.
Lacey struggled to start this game as they got early turnovers which Middletown South took advantage of. South did a great job of drawing fouls to set the tone while Lacey couldn't get going on offense. South were able to knock down key shots in the first quarter and their defense did a fantastic job. Lacey kept making mistakes which made them out of sync. South had a 10-3 lead heading into the second quarter with confidence. Lacey started to do a better job in second quarter with defense and making their shots count.
Middletown South's defense was not the same as first quarter with Lacy making a run and getting to the free throw line more also. South didn't let their lead slip away but it was cut to two going into halftime. Lacey were down 20-18 with a better feeling going to the break still needing to make adjustments. Amanda MacGregor did a great job of dictating the offense for South while Reece Paget did the same for Lacey. This would set up for a great second half and let's see which halftime adjustments comes up clutch in the end.
Lacey struggled once again in third quarter with their defense as the intensity picked up on both sides. Middletown South kept extending their lead with outstanding pace and spreading the offense more. They also drew a lot of more fouls against Lacey's defense which was another big difference in this game. Lacey had trouble finding shots at one point with turnovers being an issue still for both teams also. South had a comfortable lead up by 10 38-28 heading into the fourth quarter. Lacey did a great job of switching it up on defense in last quarter where held Middletown South to 9 points but still wasn't enough.
Middletown South let Lacey get back into the game with their lead getting cut to six. South's defense was able to come up clutch to help hold onto their lead. Middletown South ended up getting a huge 47-40 victory over Lacey in the Shore Conference Coaches Cup, Semifinal Round and improving to 10-11 this season. Lacey did a great job of staying in the game but couldn't find that last run in them. Middletown South nexts game is against Toms River North on Thursday February 15th with the time still has to be decided.
That game is the Shore Conference Coaches Cup, Final Round on Thursday February 15th.
Leading scorers for Middletown South
Amanda MacGregor 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals
Caitlin Whyte 12 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals
Erin Mayerhofer 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal.
Leading scorers for Lacey
Ava Schmidt 10 points, 2 assists and 1 steal
Brooklynn Bell 11 points, 12 rebounds
Reece Paget 8 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.
Photo Credit 📹 Mike Franco
Photo credit 📸 Mike Franco/Franco Photography follow link below to view more photos from the game and support our photographer https://franco-photography.smugmug.com/High-School-2023/High-School-Sports-2024/Basketball/Lacey-vs-Midd-South
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