By RICHIE HALL
SHERIDAN – After a 13-day layoff, the Sheridan girls basketball team returned to the floor Thursday.
The Blackhawks had a tough assignment for its first game back, hosting Bethesda Christian at Larry Hobbs Hall. Sheridan was able to hang with the Patriots for the first half, but Bethesda pulled away in the second half and beat the ‘Hawks 56-41.
Sheridan had a spectacular start to the game, sprinting off to a 9-0 lead. Ashley Webel opened the contest with a 3-pointer, Taylor Bates made a putback, Jacquellynne Bates hit a free throw and Chaney Smith drained a 3.
The ‘Hawks held a 13-3 lead minutes later, and it would be their biggest advantage of the game. Smith and Cecilia Timme both made layins to get Sheridan up 10. Bethesda finished the period on a 10-2 run, but the Blackhawks still led 15-13 at the end of the quarter.
Sheridan held a 22-16 lead midway through the second, with Timme contributing four points. That’s when the Patriots’ Kenzie Fulks took over. The sophomore scored seven points in a row to get Bethesda Christian ahead 23-22, then Paige Vawter’s floater pushed the Patriots ahead by three.
“She’s an absolute stud,” said Blackhawks coach Jaidlin Bradshaw of Fulks. “She’s a problem, and I mean that in the best possible way. Props to her, she had a great game. We just couldn’t stop her. Couldn’t figure it out.”
Kenzie Garner made consecutive jumpers to finish the half, so Sheridan held a 26-25 halftime lead. It was Garner’s first action in several weeks; she had been out due to injury.
“This is definitely a tough game to come back to,” said Bradshaw. “Bethesda is so good.”
Fulks opened the third quarter by scoring five straight points, and Sheridan answered with its own five straight points. Taylor Bates made a free throw, then Jacquellynne Bates and Timme made jump shots. That put the ‘Hawks up 31-30, but that would be their last lead of the game.
Fulks made her second three-point play of the quarter with 4:28 left in the third to give the Patriots a 33-31 lead. Lilly Chesney tied it up with a layin, but Holly Daugherty’s 3-pointer pushed Bethesda ahead 36-33, and the Patriots would lead for the remainder of the game.
A Fulks floater was the last basket of the third quarter, which ended with the Patriots up 42-35. Sheridan opened the fourth with a layin from Taylor Bates and a triple by Smith, cutting Bethesda’s lead to 42-40. But the Patriots would finish the game on a 14-1 run, with Fulks scoring 10 of those points.
Smith led the Blackhawks with 10 points, while Timme scored eight. Fulks led all scorers with 33 points.
Sheridan is 11-4 for the season and plays again tonight. The Blackhawks host Delphi in a Hoosier Heartland Conference girls-boys doubleheader. The girls tip off at 6 p.m., with the boys playing afterwards. The Sheridan girls are 5-1 in conference play, behind only Carroll, which is 6-1 in the league.
“Hopefully we just take this one and come back ready to go,” said Bradshaw. “Almost may be a good thing we play two days in a row. That way we can come back tomorrow and be fired up, remember this feeling and ready to go.”
Sheridan will play two more games next week. The Blackhawks host Southmont on Wednesday, then welcome Taylor next Friday, Jan. 28, to finish up the regular season and conference play.
BETHESDA CHRISTIAN 56, SHERIDAN 41
Sheridan FG FT TP PF
Ashley Webel 1 0-0 3 3
Cecilia Timme 4 0-0 8 4
Chaney Smith 4 0-0 10 2
Jacquellynne Bates 2 1-3 5 4
Taylor Bates 2 1-4 5 1
Lilly Chesney 1 2-2 4 1
Shelby Shaw 0 0-0 0 0
Kenzie Garner 2 2-6 6 1
Riley Reed 0 0-2 0 3
Totals 16 6-17 41 19
Score by Quarters
Bethesda 13 12 17 14 – 56
Sheridan 15 11 9 6 – 41
Sheridan 3-pointers (3) Smith 2, Webel 1.