Tierrney Zysk scored a game-high 24 points as the Craig County girls defeated Montcalm in basketball last Friday night in New Castle, 46-39. The win lifted Craig to 2-3 on the young season.
Zysk hit 10 of 20 shots from the floor and four of eight free throws to lead the Rockets. The senior center is a force around the basket.
“We can do a lot of things with her,” said coach Randy Hale. “She’s a good shooter around the basket and she’s also a good passer. Our big people played well Friday.”
The Rockets did well on the boards. Freshman Autumn Hutchison led the team with eight rebounds, followed by Lacy Smith with seven, Zysk with six and Taylor Sloss with five. Sloss had eight points, shooting four for four from the line, while Hutchison had seven and Smith had half a dozen.
“We moved Lacy to the ‘three’ and she did well there,” said Hale. “Taylor(Sloss) also played a good game.”
The Rockets were missing their best ballhandler and second leading scorer, Kaylee Pauley, who was in New York. Hale tried several different combinations in her absence but the guard play is still a work in progress.
Last week’s win followed back-to-back losses to Auburn, in Riner, and at home against Giles. The Auburn game was a tough loss, as Craig fell 63-61 to the Eagles. Zysk had 24 points and eight rebounds while Smith had 10 points, Pauley had nine, Hutchison had eight and Maddy Oliver had seven.
A night later, at home, the Rockets couldn’t stay with a strong Giles team, falling 71-43. Zysk had 24 points, Pauley had 10 and Sloss had eight.
“We stayed close until halftime but they have a very good team,” said Hale
The Rockets were scheduled to be home to Christiansburg on Tuesday, followed by a trip to Highland on Friday. Next Tuesday, December 19, Roanoke Catholic is here.
