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By Jacob Cersosimo & Chris Parker
Emotions were high for the Licking girls basketball program heading into the Class 3 District 10 championship against Mansfield on Saturday. First, the program lost in this same round last year. Second, the opposing bench featured a familiar face to the program.
“(Mansfield head coach) Gary Greene used to coach at Licking in the mid-2000’s. He is the one that got the Licking program started back in the early 2000’s. Gary is really close with all of us. We root for him when we aren’t playing him and he roots for us,” Rissler said.
Mansfield came out strong taking a 28-19 lead at half. Licking turned it on in the second half on the way to a 50-45 win and the program’s fifth district title in six seasons and eighth in 10 seasons.
The Lady Lions came out ready to play leading 9-6 after the first quarter before extending their lead on the strength of a 19-13 advantage in the second quarter.
“We knew that they were going to come out and scrap it up. They are undersized so they have to make it ugly. They did a really good job,” Rissler said. “We came out not ready. I don’t know if it was nerves. We didn’t execute. We ran all of our stuff wrong. We weren’t rotating defensively.”
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Rissler offered a challenge to his girls at the break.
“At halftime I challenged them. We lost the district championship last year. We lost the district championship in volleyball this year. (I said) ‘at some point, you are going to have to get over that hump or that is going to be your legacy here.’ They really took it to heart and they answered,” Rissler said. “We didn’t do anything different offensively or defensively. It was just the girls. They really answered my challenge. I am proud of them.”
Hannah Medlock sparked the Lady Wildcats with two early three-pointers in the third quarter.
“Hannah Medlock hit two big threes to start the third quarter and kind of got our juices flowing again, and then we got after it defensively,” Rissler said.
Licking outscored Mansfield14-11 in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Kaida Cook took over scoring nine of Licking’s 17 points in the frame.
Licking rode a 17-6 fourth quarter advantage to a 50-45 win.
Cook led Licking and all scorers with 19 points. Kiley Ingram also scored in double figures with 11 points. Mansfield was led by Logan Jones and her 17-point output. Haley Tripp had 11 to give Mansfield two players in double figures.
The Lady Wildcats will now face Steelville in the state sectional round on Wednesday. The game will take place at 6 p.m. at Gibson Arena on the campus of Missouri S&T.
