Presbyterian fights past tough All-Stars defense
Spartanburg, SC- The Converse All-Stars battled against the much fancied Presbyterian Blue Hose for 40 minutes Wednesday night but were unable to shackle the all-around attack of four double digit scorers. Presbyterian would exert their dominance in all areas and would eventually take the game 74-48 in non-conference action in the Hannah Gymnasium.
The Blue Hose came out firing and jumped to a 9-0 lead within the first three minutes and 6 offensive rebounds that would set the scene for the rest of the game. Converse rallied through freshman Sydney Brown (Myrtle Beach, SC) with some strong outside shooting and would pull within 9 points with just under 8 minutes left at 23-14 but this would be as close as they would come with Presbyterian taking a 36-20 lead at halftime.
The second half saw a balanced attack from Presbyterian with every player in the game scoring for the Blue Hose with senior Cameron Cook (Greensboro, NC) adding 9 of her game high 13 in the second period. Presbyterian finished with four players in double figures including Sharie Hopkins (Chesapeake, VA), Wesley Campbell (Greenville, SC) and Heather Bramble (Raleigh, NC) who all had 11 points.
For the All-Stars, Brown led the scoring with 11 points and Brandi Criscitiello (Maysville, NC) adding 7 off the bench. The telling statistic would prove to be rebounds where Presbyterian dominated 58-33 and overpowered Converse early and often.
With the win Presbyterian improves to 11-2 on the season and returns home to face Mars Hill Saturday. The loss drops Converse to 2-13 and the All-Stars are on the road this Saturday when they travel to Division 1 Coastal Carolina in what will prove to be a stern mid-season test.