Harriman “Zoned Out” by Lady Eagles 40-24
By Terry Futrell – November 30, 2018
The Oakdale Lady Eagles used an effective zone defense to throttle the Harriman Lady Devils offense and chalked up a 40-24 victory over Harriman in their first District 3-A game of the season at Harriman Friday evening.
Legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp refused to acknowledge running a zone defense, instead calling his a “hyperbolic paraboloid”. Regardless of what you call it, a zone defense can be an effective equalizer against an opponent.
So it was Friday evening as the Oakdale Lady Eagles executed their zone defense to near-perfection against the Lady Devils, limiting them to only six successful shots from the field for the entire game, four of which were by Lady Devil shooting ace Micaela Goins. Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles connected on 14 shots from the field and made 11 of 15 free throws.
A favorite tactic to defeat a zone defense is the use of cross-court passes in an attempt to create open shots from the opposite side court before the zone can shift. Harriman tried it, but for the most part it never worked as the Lady Eagles quickly shifted in their zone providing back-up coverage when a Lady Eagle had to pull out to guard on the perimeter. It was as near-perfect execution of a zone defense as fans are likely to see at this level. Even Coach Fred Snow seemed amazed at how well his players executed the defense.
Harriman quickly scored first as the game began to take a 2-0 lead. The Lady Eagles almost immediately responded to tie the game. Oakdale took an 8-4 lead at 2:55, only to see the Lady Devils fight back to a 10-10 tie at the end of the 1st quarter.
Neither team was productive offensively in the 2nd quarter and Oakdale went to the locker room leading 17-15 at the half.
The Lady Eagles pulled away in the 3rd quarter, taking a 28-20 lead. Oakdale’s best offensive production came in the final period when they outscored Harriman 12-4, earning a 40-24 victory.
The Lady Eagles shot 47% from the field but connected on only one of nine 3-point attempts for 11%. Oakdale successfully hit 11 of 15 free throws for 73%. The Lady Eagles snagged 31 rebounds, 21 of those on the defensive end of the court. Oakdale committed only six turnovers in the contest.
Oakdale’s zone defense was very effective in shutting down Harriman, which had only one effective outside shooter. On Tuesday, the Lady Eagles travel to Wartburg, which is fast and has several capable outside shooters. Fans should be presented with a game filled with exciting action.
Box Score
| Oakdale | ||||||
| Player | PF | 2s | 3s | FTA | FTM | TP |
| D Francis | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| M Brackett | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| D Hicks | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 7 | |
| V Jones | 2 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 15 | |
| A Miller | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| I Tilson | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| M Willis | 2 | |||||
| B Osborne | ||||||
| C Ford | ||||||
| Totals | 14 | 13 | 1 | 15 | 11 | 40 |
| Harriman | ||||||
| Player | PF | 2s | 3s | FTA | FTM | TP |
| J Davis | 1 | |||||
| M Thompson | 1 | 10 | 5 | 5 | ||
| B Freels | ||||||
| A Bertram | ||||||
| A Goldston | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| A Davis | ||||||
| N Moore | 1 | 3 | ||||
| H Hanshaw | 1 | |||||
| O Goins | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| M Goins | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | ||
| C Campbell | ||||||
| L Taylor | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
| S McCullum | ||||||
| Totals | 11 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 8 | 24 |
| Scoring by Quarter | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Tot | ||
| Oakdale | 10 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 40 | |
| Harriman | 10 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 24 | |