Fiery Smith aids Lisbon in 41-35 upset of So. Range

She scored 18 points and led the defense in the 41-35 win.

By JIM FLICK

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

NORTH LIMA — Led by fiery guard Emily Smith, the Lisbon High girls basketball team upset Inter Tri-County League Tier One rival South Range 41-35 Thursday.

Smith not only was the game’s top scorer with 18 points, she also contributed some fine defensive play that turned the game in favor of Lisbon (14-4, 9-5).

Lisbon’s Erica Snoddy was an important factor in the win, scoring 11 points and hauling down many key rebounds. Mindy Jackson also played a fine game for Lisbon, contributing 10 points and strong inside play.

Lisbon coach Jamie Entrikin also cited strong defense by his team as a key to the victory. Thanks to the defensive efforts, South Range connected on only four of 23 shots in the first half, and only 11 of 41 for the entire game.

For South Range (16-3, 11-2), Autumn Carter led the Raiders’ offense by scoring 14 points, and Alicia Winter contributed eight points.

But Smith’s fierce play turned the game in Lisbon’s favor.

“She’s been playing with a lot of confidence of late,” Lisbon coach Jamie Entrikin said after the game. “And she’s stepped up her leadership role.”

An eight-point scoring outburst by Smith in the second quarter gave Lisbon an early lead. With South Range leading 11-8, Smith tied the score with a 3-point shot and quickly followed by stealing the ball and scoring a lay-up to give Lisbon the lead. But Smith wasn’t done yet — she nailed a second 3-pointer, giving Lisbon a 16-11 lead.

Smith’s outburst and team defense in the second quarter gave Lisbon a 13-5 bulge in that period, and a 19-13 halftime lead.

But South Range stormed back in the second half. Led by Carter and Winter, the Raiders outscored Lisbon 14-8 in the third quarter, and the score was tied 27-27 as the final stanza started.

Lisbon regained the lead, and a lay-up by Snoddy put her team ahead 37-33.

With less than a minute to play, Smith struck again. She stole the ball from a South Range player, was fouled and sank two free throws to put Lisbon in front 39-33. Snoddy scored Lisbon’s final points when she sank two free throws.

Carter closed the scoring when she connected on two free throws in the game’s final seconds.

“We shot the ball terribly,” South Range coach Matt Reel said after the game. “At the beginning, we missed some easy shots.

“And they’re a solid defensive team. They don’t do anything spectacular, they just make it hard to get off good shots,” Reel added.