The second quarter was a struggle for the South Callaway girls Monday. For the most part.
In their first-round game of the Sturgeon Tournament against Sturgeon host Lady Bulldogs, South Callaway scored six points in the final 45 seconds of the second quarter before finishing the game with strong second half in a 68-44 win.
As she nears full strength since sustaining an injury, senior Raegan Brown led South Callaway (10-6) with 34 points, while senior Hailee Potter followed with 17 points and freshman Reagan Arrowood added eight points.
South Callaway coach Daniel Burns said Sturgeon (6-11) is a well-coached team with good ball movement, which gave South Callaway some trouble in the second quarter until a six-point swing stormed his team into the third quarter with momentum.
“They move the ball really well,” Burns said. “They pass the ball well, and you could tell they were well-coached and disciplined. We were just a little slow. They outworked on some rebounds. That six-point swing was the pivotal point.”
After taking a 21-14 lead after one, South Callaway was down 29-26 in the final minute of the second quarter as the defense led by Brown forced them in front 32-29 at halftime. Brown found freshman McKenzie Laughlin for a jumper prior to South Callaway ending the first half with back-to-back steals and layups at the other end.
Burns said Potter also helped South Callaway outscore Sturgeon 21-3 in the third quarter, to take a 53-32 lead after three, scoring 15 of her points in the second half while playing stout defense.
South Callaway moves to the championship bracket to play at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Sturgeon’s high school gym against Salisbury (10-5), who defeated Westran 55-29 on Monday.