CARTERVILLE – The Carterville Lady Lions basketball team kicked off the Carbondale Mid-Winter Classic with a 51-19 win against the Cape Central Tigers.

The first quarter was mainly back and forth, with good defense helping both teams keep the game within reach. The first quarter ended with the Lions trailing 12-10.

This did not last long as sophomore Caidence Philips came out for blood, sinking a first-possession three; then, as the Tigers were taking the ball up, senior Amayah Doyle got the steel and ran the ball back down the court to make the easy layup that pushed her team above the Tigers 15-12.

The Lions dominated the rest of the quarter, as their excellent defense shocked the Tigers, causing them only to score two points the rest of the first half. At the same time, on the other side, the Lion offense produced ten points to send them into halftime feeling comfortable with the score being 25-14.

After the half, the Lions continued their dominance, but they added a new wrinkle to the offense with the return of junior Emma Rogers from injury.

“I was nervous because I was not able to practice the whole season, but it felt nice as I was able to play for my dad and with my talented teammates; we have had a great season, so I was excited to get back,” said Rogers on how it felt to come back halfway through the season.

Rogers helped her team the rest of the game as the Lions took out the starters in the fourth quarter. Carterville ended up finishing the game way ahead, beating Cape Central 51-29.

The Lions will play again on January 16th as they continue the Carbondale Mid-Winter Classic. For more Carterville sports updates, follow @Cartervilleath on Instagram and Twitter.