After not getting to play for over a month, the Sheridan girls basketball team has been making up for it both in games played and games won.
The Blackhawks had won back-to-back games in November before having to shut down. Since getting back on the court, Sheridan added another five wins to its streak. That seven-game victory stretch came to an end on Thursday, as the ‘Hawks fell to a very good Speedway team 57-44 at Larry Hobbs Gym.
“After having it taken away from them for a little while, they were super eager to get back to it, and I think that’s where that energy has been coming from lately for us, so hopefully we can regroup and find it again and get back after it going forward,” said Sheridan coach Jaidlin (Delph) Bradshaw.
The Sparkplugs, a Class 3A team that is 11-1 for the season, jumped out to a 15-8 lead over the 2A Blackhawks after the first quarter. The game slowed down in the second period, with Allie Delph scoring all six of Sheridan’s points. Speedway led 20-14 at halftime.
The ‘Hawks stayed close in the third quarter, and were still within 34-30 by the end of the period. Delph scored another nine points, with Lillie Dickerson hitting a 3-pointer. Sheridan was still within 44-41 during the fourth period, but the Sparkplugs pulled away at that point. Taylor Bates scored eight points for the Blackhawks in the fourth, while Dickerson drained two more 3s.
“They’re definitely a talented team and they do a great job of running in transition,” said Bradshaw. “And I think that we just didn’t have enough gas left in the tank to run with them for the full 32 minutes.”
Delph finished the game with 19 points, including two 3s. Bates scored 12 and Dickerson added 11. Delph and Dickerson are two of five seniors on the team, while Bates is a junior and has been a contributor to the team for years.
“They’ve really decided this year that they want to play like upperclassmen and they want to play like true leaders, and that makes a big difference for us,” said Bradshaw. “I think going forward they’re going to have to continue to play like true leaders and play hard and come out every day and just show their experience like they have been so far.”
Sheridan is 7-2 for the season. The Blackhawks will have a busy finish to the year, playing three games during each of the next two weeks. First up will be back-to-back Hoosier Heartland Conference games at home, with Sheridan hosting Eastern on Monday and Clinton Prairie on Tuesday.
SPEEDWAY 57, SHERIDAN 44
Sheridan FG FT TP PF
Allie Delph 5 7-16 19 3
Chaney Smith 0 0-0 0 0
Riley Reed 1 0-0 2 2
Lillie Dickerson 4 0-0 11 4
Taylor Bates 5 2-2 12 2
Sierra Duke 0 0-0 0 0
Katy Crail 0 0-0 0 1
Emma Went 0 0-0 0 1
Lilly Chesney 0 0-0 0 1
Totals 15 9-18 44 14
Score by Quarters
Speedway 15 5 14 23 – 57
Sheridan 8 6 16 14 – 44
Sheridan 3-pointers (5) Dickerson 3, Delph 2.