Lady Falcons dominate in season finale, look forward to next season
Lady Falcons make a grand finale for their 2016 season.
Photo by Drake Horton
By Drake Horton, Contributing Writer
The Darlington Lady Falcons ended its first season under new coach Frances Fields in grand fashion this past Friday night defeating the Marlboro County Lady Bulldogs by a lopsided score of 65-40.
But even the 25 point victory really did not even justify how much better Darlington was than Marlboro County that night, as the Lady Falcons practically did whatever they want to at will.
Whether it was shooting, driving the lane, posting up underneath the rim or playing that high level of defense that Fields demands her girls to play each and every game the Lady Falcons delivered.
And that’s not even mentioning the level of effort. That has been something this team has gave every game no matter win or lose.
If there was one thing that Lady Falcons could have done better, in the eyes of Coach Fields in a game where they were so much better than their opponent, it was boxing out and getting in better position for rebounds.
“Boxing out, they didn’t box out,” Fields said on the one area of the game her team did not perform well in. “The first time we played Marlboro I don’t believe they scored that many, but being the last game, they wanted to clown around a bit, but still they didn’t execute with boxing out.”
After being up by just seven after the first quarter, Darlington outscored the Lady Bulldogs 18-7 in the second quarter that included a 10-0 run to go into the half up 32-14 and from there it was over.
Darlington added another 10-0 run in the third quarter and from there it was just a matter of watching the clock run out, wrapping up what has been an up and down, but overall eventful season and this game is evidence of the growth this team has done throughout the course of the season.
“Very well, I felt like we needed that to carry us up for next year and they executed more than our previous home games,” Fields said on the game, the season and the future of the program. “I’m pleased with tonight and I’m pleased with going forward.”
But what does Fields and the Lady Falcons, who return every player except for one, senior Futrella McNeill, who gave her heart and soul this season, playing some of the best defense for the team this season according to Fields, do to get better from this season to the next?
“We need to get better at ball handling, get better at decision making, but even tonight I felt like their decision making was somewhat better, but overall just grow,” Fields said on the areas where she feels her team needs to improve over the offseason.
The Lady Falcons finished 6-12 overall, 3-7 in the region.
