Lady Raiders Battle to the End Against Meadville
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By Marlana Smith
The Lady Raiders season came to end after a hard-fought battle against No. 1 Meadville on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, in the sectional matchup.
The Lady Raiders were led by Caroline Linberger with 14 points. Ceairra Kirby claimed 11. Natalie Thrasher and Ava Williams each tallied six points. Hadlee Parsons had five and Meg Shively earned four points.
“They gave me everything they had tonight. Most teams they (Meadville) have played this year would have shut down when we were down,” said North Shelby Head Coach Chris Parsons.
“We fought back and showed we had heart and courage and we showed we were playing for the Lady Raiders on the front of our jersey.”
A minute into the game, Meadville’s Paige Carvajal hit two 3’s giving the Lady Eagles a 6-0 advantage.
Kirby was fouled and sent to the line with 6:54 on the clock. She went 1-for-2.
Kirby claimed the next two points for NS.
Meadville scored back-to-back shots giving them a 11-3 lead.
North Shelby put five points on the board. Parsons and Thrasher scored a bucket and Linberger went 1-for-2 from a charity stripe.
Meadville hit another three extending its lead 14-8.
Kirby and Linberger shared the last four points the Lady Raiders had in the quarter.
The Lady Eagles added seven points to the board giving them 21-12 lead.
Kirby hit a three to begin the second period.
Madison Carvajal had Meadville’s next four points. They led 25-18.
Ava Williams scored two points then Kirby hit a 3-pointer and NS only trailed 25-23.
Shively earned a bucket tying the game with 3:15 left in the first half. Shively’s bucket gave NS it’s first lead of the game just a minute later.
Meadville was sent to the line three times within 44 seconds. They went 5-for-6 giving them a 30-27 advantage. They also captured the last two points giving them a 32-27 lead.
Linberger captured the first points in the second half. Meadville answered back. Linberger followed with bucket. NS trailed by three points.
Meadville splashed in a three pointer, but Thrasher scored and Linberger hit a three. NS only trailed 37-36.
The Lady Eagles scored the next five points giving them a 42-36 lead.
Thrasher claimed two points. Meadville’s M. Carvajal answered 11 seconds later.
The Lady Raiders earned the last five points in the third quarter. Thrasher scored with 1:59 on the clock.
Parsons put in a shot from beyond the arc. NS only trailed 45-43.
The final quarter was rough for North Shelby.
Kirby and Parsons came out of the game with injuries. Kirby came out with a fractured nose and concussion. Parsons also suffered a concussion.
“Some of that horse crap stuff at the end of the game, I was proud of my girls for keeping their cool,” Parsons continued, “It is what it is. Great season. We just took the No. 1 team and gave them everything we had. You could tell by the way it was going on the court.”
The Lady Raiders were only able to tally three points in the fourth.
Linberger had a bucket and Williams claimed a point.
M. Carvajal hit a three just a minute into the period.
The Lady Eagles went to the line five times in the quarter. NS only went once.
One of Meadville’s appearance at the line was due to a technical foul on Coach Parsons.
North Shelby ended its season 25-4.