by Brian Turrel
The Piper Lady Pirates won a cross-town match against the Sumner Academy Lady Sabres 57-27 Friday evening at Sumner.
Piper’s active defense made it difficult for the Lady Sabres to get the ball inside and helped the visitors take an early 6-0 lead, but Sumner took advantage of free throws and a timely three-point shot from Ariana Rivera to pull ahead 10-9 by the end of the first quarter.
Sumner kept the game knotted midway through the second quarter, using full court pressure to slow the Piper offense. As Piper broke the press, a burst of fast-break scoring wore down the home team as halftime approached.
Rivera hit two three-pointers in the second quarter to keep things close, but the Lady Pirates went to the break with a 25-18 advantage.
The third quarter showed much more of the same as Piper controlled the tempo and extended the lead. The Lady Pirates distributed the scoring, racking up 19 points in the quarter with no player scoring more than four.
Sage Grann led Piper with 17 points, and Lauren Marron and Anneliese Lockwood added nine points each. Grann was especially effective on the offensive glass, getting several points on putbacks.
Rivera ended the game with 18 of Sumner’s 27 points, along with five steals. Kylie McCleary pulled down 11 rebounds in the contest.
The win gives Piper a 2-1 record heading into United Kansas Conference play next week. The Lady Pirates will take on Topeka’s Seaman Lady Vikings at home on Tuesday starting at 5:45 p.m.
The Lady Sabres, just off a 59-9 drubbing of Kansas City’s Northeast High School, dropped to 2-1. The team will open Meadowlark Conference play against Washington at home on Tuesday. The game will tip off at 5:30 p.m.
