Lions roll over Rowan: Jordan collects 35 points, 20 rebounds on senior night

Feb. 23—SUMMIT — It was appropriate on senior night that Jasmine Jordan would not only show out but also reach a milestone achievement.

The senior standout put up a game-high 35 points in Friday's 67-48 win over Rowan County.

But it was her rebounding ability that stood out even more.

Jordan grabbed 20 on the night, lifting her past the 1,000 career rebound mark.

"It was awesome," Boyd County Pete Fraley said of Jordan's performance. "I mean, to get a thousand rebounds, that's a feat that not many people get. It was just an awesome moment."

Jordan got a hot hand early and put up 11 points, including a 3-pointer.

With eight rebounds, Jordan nearly had a double-double by the end of the first quarter.

"We're a small team and anytime you have Jasmine and Aubrey (Biggs) in there, it's just going to be hard to defend," Rowan County coach Matt Stokes said. "We couldn't even pick one or the other. They're just phenomenal."

The rebound differential in the first quarter was 13-1 in favor of the home squad.

Boyd County's defense pressured Rowan County early and helped dictate the game's rhythm.

"We're working on it," Fraley said of his squad's defense. "We've played some teams that have shot to 3-ball well and that's been a problem for our zone, but we're going to keep working on it and throw a few wrinkles in there."

It was a perfect formula for the Lions to get into the driver's seat and take a 17-9 lead into the second quarter.

Fraley was happy to see his team's offensive production trending upwards, especially with Audrey Biggs adjusting to a new role on the team.

"I've got her out playing point guard right now," Fraley said of Biggs. "That takes her completely out of where she usually plays, but I don't know how many assists she had tonight. I told her, 'You're starting to turn into a point guard.' I need her to think like me over there and she knows what I want to run. We're still a work in progress but we're going to go down fighting."

Jordan added to her total, putting up 12 more points in the frame and three more boards.

Brynlee Walker tried to keep the Vikings' ship afloat in the first half with nine points on four made baskets.

Walker was the only Rowan County player to make multiple shots in the first half.

Diamond Wills took advantage of some trips to the free throw line to do her part but Rowan County trailed 37-17 at halftime.

During the break, the Vikings were looking to make adjustments.

"We talked to them at halftime," Stokes said. "I told them, 'I usually never have to question your defensive effort, but I feel like the first half we didn't work hard offensively.' We've struggled all year long, it's no secret, but defensively is where our bread and butter is and I didn't think we did a very good job. So, we made some changes on who was guarding who in the second half and I think it was a big difference."

The Vikings went on a run to open the third frame and received more production from Walker and Kelbie Ford.

Ford had a quiet first half but managed eight points in the third quarter.

"I was really happy with our third quarter," Stokes said. "We cut it within 12, but trying to keep it there. ... We're just not there yet. We're not ready for that yet and Coach Fraley has some girls who've been doing this for a long time. They know exactly what's going on. They don't get flustered."

Rowan County closed the score to a 42-30 deficit, but that's as close as the visiting team could get.

Boyd County pulled out a 6-0 run that quieted the Vikings in the quarter.

The Lions entered the final frame with a 52-35 lead and Jordan was still adding to her total, putting up five more before exiting the game in the final minute to a rousing ovation.

Boyd County kept its foot on the pedal in the fourth quarter to pick up the victory.

Jordan finished the game nearly perfect from the floor, shooting 13-14 on the night to go along with an 80% success rate from the free throw line.

Boyd County was still without Bella Opell due to illness.

"We're as healthy as we can be," Fraley said. "I mean we still got a few out but, it's all about a new season that starts on Monday. So, good to get a win. We'll get back in the gym here in the next day or two and get ready for next week."

Walker led Rowan County in scoring with 18.

Stokes hopes his team can build off of the positives of this game and put their focus towards the postseason.

"It's going to be a tough game Monday night, but we spent our whole week prepping for it," Stokes said. "I think we should be able to go in the districts and hold our own with Bath County. Everybody knows it's Boyd, Ashland and Russell in the region. Those are the top three teams. I thought we outplayed Boyd for the most part of the third quarter, so if the girls will have that mindset, we can stick around for a little bit with all the best teams in the region."

ROWAN CO. FG FT REB TP

Walker 7-14 1-1 1 18

Ford 5-12 3-3 3 15

Wills 2-8 3-6 2 8

Perkins 1-5 0-0 2 3

Furnish 0-0 2-2 1 2

Henderson 1-1 0-0 0 2

Bailey 0-1 0-0 1 0

Eastham 0-2 0-0 2 0

Beach 0-5 0-0 3 0

Abbott 0-1 0-0 2 0

Team 6

TOTAL 16-49 9-12 23 48

FG Pct.: 32.6. FT Pct.: 75. 3-pointers: 7-28 (Walker 3-9, Ford 2-7, Wills 1-3, Perkins 1-4, Beach 0-2, Abbott 0-1, Bailey 0-1, Eastham 0-1). PF: 11. Fouled out: None. Turnovers: 11.

BOYD CO. FG FT REB TP

Jordan 13-14 8-10 20 35

Ray 5-10 0-0 2 11

Biggs 3-8 4-6 3 10

Stephens 2-3 1-2 2 7

Stevens 1-2 0-2 4 2

Hamilton 1-2 0-0 0 2

Moore 0-5 0-0 0 0

Gilbert 0-0 0-0 1 0

Team 0

TOTAL 25-44 13-20 32 67

FG Pct.: 56.8. FT Pct.: 65. 3-pointers: 4-15 (Stephens 2-2, Jordan 1-1, Ray 1-5, Biggs 0-1, Hamilton 0-1, Moore 0-5). PF: 10. Fouled out: None. Turnovers: 14.

ROWAN CO. 9 8 18 13 — 48

BOYD CO. 17 20 15 15 — 67

(606) 326-2658 — wadams@dailyindependent.com