It was another busy week for the Lady Hounds as they look to end a surprising skid as they head into some Christmas week road trips. Let’s break it down here:

December 17th @ North Central (47-40 Loss)

The Hounds got off to a roaring start as they headed into hostile territory, as they quickly went up double digits early in the 1st Quarter against the 8th-ranked Panthers. Unfortunately for the Hounds, Junior Hannah Lach, who had already drained a 3, went down with an apparent left ankle injury just 4 minutes into the game. But, fueled by a prominent offensive attack led by Junior Center Mackenzie Thomas, the Hounds led throughout the entirety of the 1st Half. But, shades of a Panthers comeback could be seen near the end of the 2nd Quarter, with Junior sharpshooter Ava Couch draining some shots along with Senior Tanyuel Welch. The second half proved to be killer (and not in a cool way) for the Hounds as they couldn’t seem to find a way to stop the Panther’s offensive attack. Combine that with Hannah Lach out of the game and Kate Clarke still on a minutes restriction, and you can see why the Hounds were outscored 14-8 in the 3rd Quarter. Even though they still led (albeit by 1) into the final 8 minutes of the game, the Hounds just could not gain the momentum back, as the Panthers ran away with the game, fueled by an 8-0 run to start the 4th Quarter, handing the Hounds their 3rd loss in a row. 

North Central Scoring: Couch-16, Welch-14

Carmel Scoring: Thomas-14, Shepherd-7, Roper-6

December 18th vs Portage (48-23 Win)

If there was a game for the Hounds to snap their 3-game losing streak it was this one against Portage. Just like so many other games this year, it was a rapid start for the Hounds, as they held the Indians scoreless for the first 6 minutes of the game. Offensively, the Hounds were just as solid, racking up 16 points in the 1st Quarter alone on what would become one of Mackenzie Thomas’ best games of her career. However, the Hounds slowed their offense down in a big way in the 2nd Quarter, as they were held scoreless for about 4 minutes straight. Unfortunately for the Indians, they had just as much trouble scoring before the break, and they were down 24-7 at the half. Coming out of the break, both squads had major ball handling issues, evident in the fact that Mackenzie Woods of the Hounds racked up 4 steals all by herself. At the end of this one, it came down to pure talent, as the Hounds stayed up by 20 for the majority of the 4th Quarter while cruising to a big time 48-23 victory at home.

Carmel Scoring: Thomas-23, Roper-11

Portage Scoring: Hiller-6, Del Valle-6

This Week’s Takeaways:

Although the Hounds did cap off this week with a win, it is evident in their previous 3 games against tougher opponents that they need to step up their overall play. We’ve seen in a few games this year, such as the one at North Central that the Hounds can control the majority of the game, but sometimes just give it up at the end. However, the bright side of that is that they are a talented enough group of players that even when they are missing some key components to their team, they can compete at the level of some of the best teams in the state. They just have to do it for all 32 minutes. I think we will see that very soon, as the difficulty of their schedule ramps up, and as injuries heal. 

Defensively, it’s those issues that are inherent to the 3-2 zone that are hurting the Hounds bigtime. When they face teams like North Central who move the ball around efficiently, they just can’t seem to get to the ball in time before a wide open 3 is taken. However, in every other defensive aspect, they are nothing short of excellent. My solution? Try putting Emily Roper, arguably the best defensive player on the team, in that front 3, and use her length to fend off shots. Trust me, no guard in the entire Midwest would want to have to put up shots over Roper.

The Week Ahead:

–  Thursday, December 23rd @ Columbus North (7-4)

– Gabe Perrin, Co-Sports Director