Lady Wardens Slip By The Breakers

The Ram Athletic Center was lite up Friday night as the Loyola Breakers played host to the Powell County Lady Wardens in a Class B Western Conference game that ended with a flare as the Lady Wardens came away with a 52-47 win.

Loyola started the game in a new fashion as they were given a dose of their own medicine by the Lady Wardens by being held to five points in the opening quarter while Deer Lodge racked up 14 points of their own. In addition to a slow start the Beakers found themselves on the wrong end of foul trouble as three starters had the whistle blown on them in the opening minutes. As they did in the first quarter, the girls from Deer Lodge found their way into passing lanes for turnovers and converted them into points to extend their lead.

Down by 16 points to start the third quarter Loyola went to work on the deficit and the Breaker to take charge was their freshman leader Lani Walker who put the team on her shoulders and scored eight of Loyola’s 19 points in the third quarter. Loyola clamped down on the Lady Wardens defensively by holding Deer Lodge to three pointsin the third quarter, the first coming as a free throw with 4:26 left in the third. With the game tied at 33 to start the final frame the two teams exchanged the lead three times in the fourth quarter before the Lady Wardens slipped away with the win.