Nov. 21, 2012 — The 2012 East Carter boys and girls basketball teams will be a tale of two teams this season as both took part in their first exhibitions Saturday in the Jack Fultz Classic in Olive Hill.
On the Lady Raider side, there was not a single senior on last year’s squad, meaning all key players have returned from 2011.
For the Raiders, the loss of two key guards from last year’s surprise run to the region semifinals leaves the Raiders with an experienced bunch from last season looking to fill leadership roles.
First up on the exhibition showcase was long-time coach Hager Easterling and his Lady Raiders.
While East Carter did not compile a lot of first half points against Ohio team South Point, defense was still strong as they took a 17-10 lead into the half.
The second half was a different story, with East’s girls forcing numerous turnovers and putting up 35 points, while allowing just 11.
Though scores were reset after each quarter, Easter Carter won the scrimmage by a 55-21 score; a final Easterling said he was pretty happy with.
“I thought we struggled shooting the ball in the first half, but our defense was pretty darn good tonight,” Easterling said. “We shot better in the final two quarters and overall, I felt like we played a pretty solid game here in the preseason.”
As an encore, the Lady Raiders male counterparts shot well from the get go, especially from beyond the arc. Six three pointers helped the Raiders take a 52-14 lead over Ripley, Ohio into the half.
Not much of a contest, East Carter continued its hot shooting in the second half, finishing the night with a dominant 84-32 victory.
East Carter Head Coach Brandon Baker commented on his team’s big numbers in the scrimmage.
“I thought we really put good pressure on the ball and it was good to see us play so intense in a preseason game,” Baker said. “As far as our shooting goes, you can’t really complain when all your kids were hitting like we did today.”
Next week’s Journal-Times will have an in-depth preview about this year’s upcoming seasons for the Raiders and Lady Raiders.
Grant Stevens can be reached at gstevens@journal-times.com or by telephone at 1-800-247-6142.
