Lady Bearcats ‘Rayne’ down on Lincoln
- Updated: November 20, 2015
Beck keeps Lincoln’s big post player in check while Weaver opens a big first-half lead
Despite giving up seven inches in height, Weaver’s Rayne Beck (R) didn’t give Lincoln’s Amaz Carmichael (C) much room to work Thursday night.
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
WEAVER – Gary Atchley thought he had designed a pretty good defensive game plan for the night, one that would give his Weaver girls basketball team its best chance of limiting the impact of 6-foot-3 Lincoln sophomore Amaz Carmichael.
But 30 seconds into the game the plan was shot. It was time to go to Plan B.
B, as in Beck. Rayne Beck.
The original plan was to put Mariah Thompson on Carmichael, who went for 42 points and 15 rebounds in Lincoln’s season opener, but 30 seconds into the game Thompson caught a wayward elbow in the nose that sent her to bench for repairs.
That forced Atchley to put Beck in the barrel and the 5-8 guard’s response was simply amazing. She kept Carmichael in check while the Lady Bearcats seized control en route to a 60-37 victory that has them 2-0 for what’s believed to be the first time since 2004.
“I was a little nervous at first,” Atchley said, “but we’d been practicing in case (Thompson) got in foul trouble we were going to bring Rayne over on her, so right when she got hit in the nose everybody knew that’s what we were going to do.
“Rayne is probably the most physical player I’ve got; if I need to shut somebody down, Rayne Beck is a freaking warrior. The thing is we formulated a game plan and they freakin’ ran it. We did exactly what we were supposed to do. It’s hard to get beat when you come up with a game plan and you do it.”
Beck held Carmichael without a field in the first quarter and only two in a 10-point first half. Weaver, meanwhile, sprinted out to a 25-3 first-quarter lead and extended it to 41-12 at the break.
Carmichael wound up with 27 points, but most of them came in the fourth quarter after Weaver relaxed its pursuit.
“Coach told me to front her and do not let her have that ball,” Beck said. “I was going all out. No matter how much she does to me, just stay on her, don’t let her have the ball and don’t foul. It was pretty tough. You’ve just got to stay on it.”
Beck made her presence felt even before she was moved to guard
Carmichael. She scored the game’s first six points in 27 seconds, hitting the first bucket on a layup, then stealing each of Lincoln’s next two inbounds passes and converting them into layups. She finished with a team-high 20 points (18 in the first half).
Lincoln coach Shea Monroe said the fast start was ‘huge” to the outcome of the game. He said the Lady Bearcats dominated his team physically.
“I feel like at first my team was intimidated a little, but after that (6-0 start) it kind of set them all off; they got their fire lit and they got going,” Beck said. “I’m proud of my defense, but I think it was team effort that really pushed it over the edge.”
Pleasant Valley 71, Gaston 26
JACKSONVILLE — Atleigh Brannon scored 22 points and three others scored in double figures as the Lady Raiders rolled. McKinley Parris had 12 points, Kara Perry had 11 and Makayla Simpson had 10.
PV opened a 47-9 halftime lead and coach Brad Hood cleared the bench.
Weaver 60, Lincoln 37
LINCOLN (1-1) – Jasmina Miller 0 0-0 0, Courtney Edwards 1 0-2 2, Amaz Carmichael 10 7-17 27, Katelynn Harmon 0 0-0 0, Jayla Morris 2 1-5 5, Taylor Conway 0 0-2 0, Bailey Gowers 1 1-2 3. Totals 14 9-25 37.
WEAVER (2-0) – Ciara Hardy 0 0-0 0, Caleigh Cortez 5 4-4 14, Tayanna Perry 2 0-0 4, Rayne Beck 10 0-2 20, Emily Reed 1 0-0 2, Anna Howell 3 2-2 9, Morgan Wigley 0 0-0 0, Hannah Roberts 1 0-0 2, Mariah Thompson 4 1-4 9, Skylar Watson 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 7-12 60.
Lincoln 3 9 9 16 — 37
Weaver 25 16 12 7 — 60
3-point goals: Weaver 1 (Howell). Technical fouls: Lincoln coach Shea Monroe. Total fouls: Lincoln 12, Weaver 20. Officials: Batey, Hollingsworth, Brewster.
Pleasant Valley 71, Gaston 26
GASTON – K. Thrasher 1 0-0 2, Taylor Bush 1 3-4 5, Sidney Oliver 2 1-2 5, Haley Morgan 1 0-0 2, Jessica Thornton 2 0-3 4, Haley Gladden 0 0-0 0, Tori Bush 0 0-2 0, Yosmen Foster 1 3-5 6, Amayiah Hill 1 0-0 2. Totals 9 7-16 26.
PLEASANT VALLEY – Kara Perry 5 1-1 11, Lindsey Pritchett 1 0-2 2, McKinley Parris 5 1-2 12, Atleigh Brannon 6 8-11 22, Alyssa Cash 1 0-0 2, Kaylee Lawler 2 0-0 4, Kendall Johnson 0 0-0 0,
Taylor Barthel 0 4-4 4, Makayla Simpson 4 2-3 10, Emily Cochran 0 0-0 0, Courtney Upton 2 0-0 4. Totals 26 16-20 71.
Gaston 7 2 8 9 — 26
Pleasant Valley 19 29 8 15 — 71
3-point goals: Gaston 1 (Foster), Pleasant Valley 3 (Parris, Brannon 2). Total fouls: Gaston 19, Pleasant Valley 18. Officials: Pratt, Watson, Battles.
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