Lady Cubs' record evened at 1-1 after loss

OLNEY — The Olney High School Lady Cubs sit at 2-2 in district play following Tuesday’s 47-30 loss to Archer City.

Tuesday night’s game against the rival Lady Wildcats seemed a game of chicken.

With mounting fouls thanks to the Lady Wildcats’ extremely aggressive full-court press, it seemed like only a matter of time before Archer City pulled its starters, but that did not come fast enough as Archer City established a 6-point lead going into halftime.

“They are an experienced team,” Olney coach Jimmy Toney said. “[Coach Amy Huseman] does a great job with them. It’s a rivalry game and anything could have happened. They girls played their hearts out, but just ended up on the opposite end of the stick.”

After ending the first quarter down a buck, on shots from senior forwards Kodee Scott and Geri Heath, the Lady Cubs seemed primed to pick up their second district win, but that all came to an end following a big third quarter by Archer City.

“We did not crumble under the pressure,” Toney said. “In the past, we’ve crumbled, but we are showing improvement every game.”

One Lady Cub making improvement is sophomore guard Jae Montgomery, who came off the bench to lead Olney in scoring with 7 points.

“I did a lot better than I have before,” Montgomery said. “I started to be more aggressive on defense and that helped me a lot. I feel pretty good. I’m not a major component, but I have a positive force.”

Montgomery attributed Tuesday shortfall to a bit of fatigue, which comes after playing five games in seven days.

“In the third, we just got a little tired and started giving up backsides and easy shots,” Montgomery said. “Our shots just weren’t falling. We were all pretty tired. We have always had a rivalry. It’s a big deal this year because we’re so much closer.

“I feel pretty good about the rest of the season and I’m confident we can do it. We have a shot at the playoffs. We all want a banner up there and we are working for it.”