First Posted: 1/29/2015
LIMA – Lima Senior had already beaten Toledo St. Ursula once this season, but the Spartans still played like they had something to prove in a 64-47 girls basketball win on Thursday night.
Lima Senior jumped on the visiting Arrows early, took a 20-7 lead after one quarter, went up 32-15 at halftime and never let the lead drop below 11 points in the second half.
Rion Thompson scored 30 points and post player Imara Haynes had a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocked shots for the Spartans (10-6, 4-5 Three Rivers Athletic Conference).
Lima Senior’s No. 2 scorer for the season, Essence Cowan, was scoreless in the first half but finished with eight points and six assists.
Megan Burns scored 14 points and 6-foot, 3-inch post player Alex Richards had nine points for St. Ursula (5-9, 2-8 TRAC).
“They’re not the best team in the world and I thought we did a good job in the first half, especially in the first quarter. We sent a message that ‘We’re here to play tonight,’ ” Lima Senior coach Vince Halliday said. “We didn’t let them hang around and after that point we did what we had to do to win. It was a solid, all-around effort.
“Imara Haynes was really good tonight. Defensively, Imara was great, especially in the first half. We sped them up. We funneled them to her and she blocked a bunch of shots in the first half,” he said.
Lima Senior’s defensive pressure took St. Ursula out its comfort zone at the beginning of the game and again early in the second half. The Arrows had seven turnovers in the first quarter, nine in the third quarter and 22 in the game.
Lima Senior shot 43 percent on field goals (27 of 63) and St. Ursula made 31 percent of its shots (17 of 54). The Spartans had a 36-28 rebounding edge.
