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RADFORD – Above the Radford girl’s basketball locker room reads a sign saying “It starts now”. So it did on Saturday, as the Bobcats opened Three Rivers district play, dropping their first game of the season in a tough, physical contest against Floyd County, 57-46.
The big story coming into the game was the success of Radford forward Mariah Sydnor. The junior was just two points from achieving her 1,000th career point in just two-and-a-half years with the team.
It would take just 2:08 and three free throw attempts in the first quarter, but Sydnor would achieve the accolade. After going to the free throw line once and hitting one of two shots, Sydnor would return on the second Bobcats possession to knock down her third free throw attempt of the game for the century mark in her high school basketball career.
“It was definitely a weight lifted off of my shoulders because I had known about it for a couple of days,” Sydnor said. “They told me after they took me out of the East Mont game [about the record, so she wouldn’t break it on the road].
. So I’ve been thinking about it since that game. It was a cool moment. I’m a junior. Not many people can say they’ve scored 1,000.”
“I think it’s special,” said Bobcats coach Kevin Conner. “We haven’t had a whole lot of 1,000 point scorers here at Radford. For her to do it in less than two-and-a-half years, that shows you what kind of talent level she has. She works real hard on her game. I’m just really proud of her.”
Both teams struggled for scores in the opening quarter, as the two teams tallied just 13 points. Turnovers off of both teams press would be the catalyst. Radford (10-1, 1-1) would hold the 7-6 edge after the first.
Radford would get off to a cold start in the second quarter, as the Lady Buffs (8-2, 2-0) scored the first six points of the quarter. Jordan Nolen would score four of those points and Karina Miller had two points, which stretched the Floyd lead to 12-7.
“I think they overwhelmed us early,” Conner said. “The first half, we played them pretty even, but we played tight. They make you play that way. They have a good ball team. They run people at you, run the trap, they make you play tight and faster than you normally play, and we didn’t step up to the moment.”
Five would be the biggest lead of the quarter for Floyd, as Radford continued to work hard to keep it close. Sydnor would score two baskets on back-to-back Bobcat possessions. She would score a team-high nine points in the quarter, but Floyd would lead 21-19 at halftime.
The Bobcats would go cold on their shooting to start the third quarter, as Floyd continued to press the issue. Radford missed numerous attempts at three point baskets. They would shoot just 1-for-17 on the three-point shots during the game.
A 7-2 run early in the quarter propelled Floyd into a double-digit lead, as Sydnor was held scoreless in the ten point quarter for Radford.
What had been nerves early on for Sydnor and her potential accomplishment was just an afterthought in the final quarter. She was determined to get her team back into the game and worked hard to do so. She would score 12 of 14 points for Bobcats during a run in the beginning to middle of the fourth.
“At the end, I just got the ball and decided I was taking it,” Sydnor said. “I probably should have done that earlier. In the beginning, the whole 1,000 point thing, it shouldn’t have gotten to me, but it did.”
“I think she stopped thinking and started playing,” Conner said. “The moment got to her early. She finally decided she was going to play. I thought they were all like that early. Hopefully we can instill something in them so they won’t be like that next time around.”
That run by Sydnor and the Bobcats helped to cut the Floyd lead from 16 points early in the quarter to just four points, 50-46.
In the end, the nervousness of Radford along with a poor shooting performance from behind the arc kept them from competing with the Lady Buffaloes. A four point lead swelled to eleven, as the Bobcats were held scoreless in the closing minutes of the game.
“They shot the ball real well,” Conner said. “That is the difference in the two programs right now. We are just now getting some of our kids to start shooting in the summer and playing some in the summer to work on their game. That program is so solid and strong that they work on their games year round. Our girls are not back into that mode yet. We are trying to get them to understand the importance of working on their game a little bit throughout the year.”
“I think we did a pretty decent job of breaking their press, but we didn’t have anybody finish. We were dropping passes and I felt like we played a little bit intimidated.”
Sydnor scored 26 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had two blocks for the Bobcats in the game. Pip Pattison added 11 points, four steals, and three assists.
Radford returns to the court on Wednesday for another Three Rivers district contest, when they host the Giles Spartans. The action starts at 6 p.m. with the junior varsity game, followed by the varsity contest.
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