Cary girls basketball rallies by Fuquay-Varina

The Cary girls basketball game’s second half was underway as fans began to arrive and fill the Charles H. Adams gym in anticipation of watching the nightcap featuring the Imps’ unbeaten and No. 2-ranked boys team.

But in the next couple seasons, some of those same fans might be arriving in time for girls’ tipoff. The Imps are that young – they started four sophomores and one freshman – and were, at times, that impressive in a 40-26 win Friday night over Fuquay-Varina.

“We know we’re going to progress,” said Cary sophomore guard Lauren Fisher, who scored 7 points. “We all get along. Our bond is unbreakable. It starts in practice. We take practice seriously so that when it’s game-time we’re ready.”

Fisher and freshman Ariana Smith form an impressive backcourt. They played defense and ran the fast break. They also got the ball inside to 6-foot-1 sophomore Adrienne Moore. The other two starters, sophomore forward Anna Padiak and sophomore guard Megan Cannady, are solid fundamentally and know their roles.

And those are only the healthy young players on Cary coach Patrick Daly’s roster.

Tamari Key, a 6-4 freshman, is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery last year. She participates in limited workouts with the team and may be cleared late in the season. Sophomore Kirstyn Clark, the Imps’ leading returning scorer, also is out with a knee injury.

Cary improved to 4-11 overall and 3-5 in Southwest Wake Athletic Conference play, while Fuquay fell to 6-7 and 1-4.

Turning point

Cary trailed 23-20 in the third quarter when Smith and Cannady hit back-to-back three-point field goals for a sudden 26-23 lead that was bumped to 28-23 with two free throws from Smith.

They said it

“He (Daly) has a heck of a young group. Wait until they get their big girl back,” Fuquay coach Gail Siemer said.

Three who mattered

Ariana Smith, Cary: The 5-7 frosh guard totaled 10 points to lead the Imps’ balancing scoring.

Adrienne Moore, Cary: The 6-1 sophomore scored nine points with eight rebounds. She showed moves to the basket from both the left and right sides.

Ava Bethea, Fuquay-Varina: The junior led the Bengals with13 points.

Needs work

Cary’s girls could have put the game away earlier with better free-throw shooting. The Imps hit only 2 of 9 in the third quarter and 6 of 19 for the night.

This story was originally published January 9, 2016 at 1:47 AM with the headline "Cary girls basketball rallies by Fuquay-Varina."