by Noah Dalton
FRENCH LICK — Mitchell High School began Patoka Lake Athletic Conference play on Monday, traveling to French Lick to battle Springs Valley.
In the matchup, the Blackhawks prevailed 60-27 in large part due to a second quarter surge that saw them outscored the Bluejackets 19-3 in the period, after the two sides were separated by just three points late in the first quarter.
Springs Valley went up 11-3 to start the game before Mitchell rallied nearly evening the score with a 10-2 run with just over a minute left in the first.
From that point, it was almost all Blackhawks, with the lone basket from the Bluejackets in the quarter coming on a three-pointer made by Raylee Thompson.
Second-quarter issues have plagued Mitchell throughout the season, with similar stories coming out of recent games against Loogootee and Perry Central, another PLAC opponent.
“The ball kept going in the basket for a little bit and when that happens, any team sometimes shuts down defensively and rebounds go away,” said Mitchell coach Dakota Brasher.
“Right now, we’re so offensively driven and the offensive workers play harder defensively and that’s really what it was. I thought our defensive intensity was kind of a let down.”
Mitchell trailed by 26 points, 39-13, at the half, creating a deficit the team was unable to overcome in the final two quarters despite an improved offensive showing
The Bluejackets finished the third trailing 52-21, with Springs Valley pushing their lead past the 35-point threshold to initiate a running-clock shortly before the final buzzer.
In the loss, Mitchell’s 27 points scored was the team’s most since their win to open the season against Bloomfield. Brasher credited the improvement to adjustments toward a more simple system and increased ball movement.
“The ball moved. We really simplified our offense tonight. We kept it simple and I think our girls responded,” said Brasher.
“We had got a good rhythm there. It’s simple right now. It’s effective for us.”
Blackhawks’ guard Maci Eckerty was the leading scorer for the night with 21 points. Jordyn Land added 14 points.
For Mitchell, Raylee Thompson was the leading scorer with eight points. Just behind her with seven points was Paisley Modglin.
The Bluejackets will break for Thanksgiving before returning to take on Brown County on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Brasher noted the team will look to keep working on things at an individual level, with areas of focus for each member of the roster as they continue to look ahead with hopes of a playoff surge.
“Still working on individuals., Every girl’s got something they can get better on, two or three things they can keep improving on,” he said.
“It’s the team thing. It’s watching out. It’s jumping the ball defensively. It’s communicating. It’s those things. It’s the same thing.Every coach in every conference in every part of the country is talking about those same thing.”
