District 1-5A b-ball: Rutherford girls reach semifinal

SPRINGFIELD — There were plenty of signs that Rutherford is taking the role of host seriously in the District 1-5A girls basketball tournament that opened Tuesday.

The Rams, 9-10, took the floor for the play-in game against West Florida Tech and after struggling early advanced to a semifinal matchup with top-seeded Arnold with a 54-36 victory.

Rutherford will play Arnold, which was unbeaten in 1-5A regular-season play 7 p.m. Friday. That game will be preceded by the 5:30 p.m. semifinal between Bay and Gulf Breeze. The championship is 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Rams’ record might not indicate a strong playoff run, but they were very competitive this winter against the top three seeds in this tournament.

When trailing 16-4 to West Florida in the second quarter, however, the thought of a third game against the Marlins wasn’t even on the radar.

“We went man-to-man defense, that was the difference,” Rutherford coach Allen Kelly said. “Our pressure on the ball. I don’t think we forced any turnovers until about halfway through the second quarter.”

When they did they came in bunches. The Rams already had clawed within 23-20 at halftime when Dasia Faulk buried a 3-pointer in the final 20 seconds of the second quarter.

Emilee Cook and Lakia Snowden took over in the third quarter, each scoring eight points as Rutherford established a lead in the opening 80 seconds and never relinquished it. A full-court press forced errant passes that became easy transition baskets.

The Rams led 38-29 after three quarters, Cici Hatcher scoring all six of the Jaguars’ (1-18) third-quarter points. Faulk became prominent in the fourth quarter with 12 of her 18 points as Rutherford pulled away.

“That was a career night,” Kelly said of Faulk. “She’s one of the best defensive players in the county, but she’s never had 18.”

That matched Cook’s total, before the Rams’ center fouled out. Snowden had 10. Hatcher had 17 points for West Florida, which sagged on offense when Jerenka Ephron got her fourth foul in the third quarter, then her fifth midway through the fourth.

The Rams were looking ahead to their third matchup with Arnold by that time. They were unable to overcome the Marlins in two regular-season games, but had their chances.

“Just play the right way and protect the ball,” Allen said of the key to winning and qualifying for a regional berth. “We were close over there, then had the lead at our place.

“We didn’t protect the ball and our defense was horrendous at times. We can’t let (JoJo Booker) impose her will on us.”

• WFT (36)
• Ephron 3 1-2 7, Allen 0 0-0 0, Richardson 1 0-0 2, Williams 1 1-2 3, Henderson 2 1-4 5, Snow 0 0-2 0, Hatcher 5 6-12 17, Watts 0 0-1 0, Johnson 1 0-2 2. Totals: 13 9-25 36.
• RUTHERFORD (54)
• Cook 4 10-18 18, Snowden 4 2-6 10, Faulk 7 3-4 18, Kahl 0 0-0 0, Bell 2 0-2 4, Evans 0 0-0 0, Williams 2 0-2 4, Carroll 0 0-2 0. Totals: 19 15-32 54.
• West Florida 12 11 6 7 — 36
• Rutherford 4 16 18 16 — 54
• 3-point goals: WFT 1 (Hatcher), Rutherford 1 (Faulk). Total fouls: WFT 21, Rutherford 14. Fouled out: WFT (Ephron), Rutherford (Cook).