The FCHS varsity girls' basketball team ran into a buzzsaw on the road Tuesday night, as Herrin rolled past the Lady Redbirds 67-35 in a battle between two teams perched near the top of the Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference Ohio Division standings.
With a large Herrin crowd on hand, the home team came out on fire against the Lady Redbirds, jumping out to a 15-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lady Tigers continued to roll, extending their lead to 28-11 at halftime.The Lady Redbirds came out in the second half and attempted to mount a comeback, knocking a dent in the Herrin lead late toward the end of the third quarter, but the Lady Tigers held their composure and went on to the 67-35 victory.
"It was just one of those night where we were never quite in sync," said FCHS girls' varsity head coach Matt Hampleman. "We managed to put together a little run at the end of the third, but it was too little too late."
"Herrin came out and played extremely well. They had a big crowd on hand and hit some shots early to gain momentum," added Hampleman.
Senior Genni Hickey led the Lady Redbirds with 12 points, followed by 10 points from classmate Sarah White.
The loss drops the Lady Redbirds to 14-3 on the season.
Hampleman's will be at home Saturday, taking on Sesser-Valier in the annual Mid-Winter Classic Tournament.
