Lady Raiders Power Past Fort Morgan

The Sidney Lady Raiders defeated the Fort Morgan Lady Mustangs 51-35 Friday with a solid defensive effort that left the Lady Mustangs frustrated and enabled Sidney to pull away in the 4th quarter for the win. The victory improved the Lady Raiders record to early in the season 4-1 overall.

The Lady Raiders opened with a fast start, taking good shots from the field and knocking down 3-pointers that had the Lady Mustangs scrambling for a response. Sidney’s pressure defense forced hurried shots and turnovers, and by the end of the 1st quarter, the Lady Raiders were in command 15-8.

In the second quarter, however, the Lady Mustangs regrouped and dialed up their defense with great effect. The Lady Raiders were held to only five points, and their frustration was starting to show with hurried shots and fouls causing their scoring drought, and allowing the Lady Mustangs to put up 11 points in the quarter. Fort Morgan passed more often and created better scoring opportunities for themselves, and by the end of the half, Sidney was hanging on, 20-19.

Regrouping after the half, the Lady Raiders clamped down on defense and took better shots during the third quarter. The Lady Mustangs continued their strong defensive effort and patience on offense to keep the game close.

By the end of the quarter, Sidney was starting to pull away with their outside shooting and solid defense wearing down the Lady Mustangs.

The 4th quarter had the Lady Raiders pulling away for good as Fort Morgan could not match Sidney’s defensive intensity and strong outside shooting. The Lady Mustangs hung around until 2:39 left in the fourth quarter when a Lady Raider’s steal a set up a demoralizing 3-pointer by Meaghan Ross to seal the victory.

Sidney’s strong defense in the 4th quarter allowed only two points in the final 3:35 of the game, ending any chance of a comeback by the Lady Mustangs.

The Lady Raiders offensive leaders were Ross with 17 points, and Janay Brauer with 10 points, while defensively Katelyn Sylvester and Janay Brauer were the standouts. Overall, Sidney won the turnover battle 13-22 while scoring a whopping 32 points off of the steals, and dominated Fort Morgan with 13-2 differential in second chance points.