GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Lawhan provides spark in Conquerors' victory

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on November 22, 2016 9:54 AM

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jhayes@newsargus.com

Fluid and poetic? Not exactly.

It was more like a basketball survival junket.

Such was the case last evening at Faith Christian Academy, where the lady Conquerors shook off a litany of turnovers and a head-scratching number of whistles to turn back NCCSA 2-A foe Bethel, 43-33, before a spirited crowd in the team's varsity home opener.

From the outset, the contest was both intense and physical.

Bethel set the tone early, picking up the hosts at three-quarter court and creating a frenetic set of circumstances for Faith point guard Taylor Skinner. When the pressure cracked, the Trojans fell into a wandering, amoeba-like zone that made matters equally problematic.

At the end of one quarter, Faith had just one more point (10) than it did giveaways (9).

Then Jordan Lawhan happened.

The junior guard impacted all portions of the second stanza, helping Faith reduce its mistakes and get into a rhythm of quality offensive sets. In addition to collecting six rebounds, Lawhan also filed 10 points -- the majority of which came on tough putbacks in the paint.

"She's the captain, our leader," Faith head coach Jeff Stocks said, "she's played the longest and has more experience than anyone else -- she gives us that confidence."

At half, Faith held a 21-18 advantage. 

The third quarter morphed quickly into a foul parade, with Bethel forcing its dribble into the paint on practically every possession. Faith held its ground, however, and allowed just one basket from the field over the final 16 minutes. 

When the dust settled, 40 fouls had been called. Five players were disqualified. In the second half alone, an eye-popping 39 free throws were attempted by the two teams. 

It was as if the gym was under siege. 

"I thought we did really well," Stocks said of his team's stare-down with adversity, "we handled it better than I thought we would."

Bethel (2-1 overall) would attempt to tighten matters in the fourth quarter, but a collective Faith effort on the glass stifled any notion of a rally. Lawhan finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and was backed up by freshman Chloe Mills, who tallied 13 points. 

Reagan Baumgartner and Cassidy Glover combined to snare 15 rebounds for the Conquerors. 

Bethel was led by Jensen Worthington, who logged 15 points. The senior guard was steady all evening from the charity stripe, making 13 of 18 attempts in the second half. 

The victory moved Faith Christian to 3-1 on the season.