Girls basketball lookin’ good as we head into a new year

Impressive.
That was the first word that sprang to mind Wednesday night as I watched the Linton-Stockton Lady Miners demolish visiting North Central 68-36. Linton never trailed in the game, taking a 17-9 lead after one quarter of play as Hannah Frady scored two of her 27 points on a putback
The second quarter only proved to be worse for North Central. Frady hit three triples, and a smothering Linton defense limited the visitors to two points. North Central settled for jumpers against the Lady Miners, but missed 11 straight shots as they went scoreless for nearly eight minutes. Jocelyn Cox hitting a layup with about 22 seconds on the clock for the LadyBirds’ only points of the quarter and prevented a scoreless second.
It’s easy to see why the Lady Miners (12-2, a perfect 5-0 record in the Southwest Indiana Athletic Conference) are ranked No. 11 in the weekly Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association Class 2A poll. North Central has a good team -- the LadyBirds are 9-3, 4-1 in the SWIAC -- yet Linton went through them like a hot knife goes through butter.
I think the Lady Miners’ success confirms a thought I’ve been pondering the last couple of weeks. Girls basketball in the area has improved this season.
Bloomfield is only 8-7, but the Lady Cardinals have played a pretty tough schedule and are 3-1 in conference play, their only loss coming to North Central. The Lady Cards will host Linton on Thursday, Jan. 17, in a game that may decide SWIAC bragging rights.
White River Valley stands 7-5 with a tough home game Friday night against second-ranked Vincennes Rivet. The Lady Wolverines have already bettered their win total for last season which saw them finish with a 6-17 mark.
Union fields only eight girls, but they remain steady. The Lady Bulldogs have an 8-3 record, have won the inaugural Southern Roads Conference tournament, and could equal last year’s mark of 16-5.
Freshmen Jaylee Hayes and Jaci Stone brought some new, vigorous blood to Shakamak. The Lady Lakers are 5-7, but they have already equaled the win total of last year which saw them post a 5-18 mark.
Eastern’s 4-9 record may not seem impressive at first, but the Lady Thunderbirds have already doubled the win total from last year’s 2-22 season. They played Union Thursday night, a good preparation for the Toby Yoho Classic on Friday and Saturday of next week.
Way to go, ladies!! I look forward to seeing how you do in the sectionals.