By Mark Schmerling

Facing an A.C. Reynolds defense that forced the Wolverines to shoot mostly from afar, and missing one of their top players, Polk County couldn’t catch the Rockets on Wednesday, Jan. 7, falling, 62-46.

Reynolds quickly built a 12-2 lead, and led, 18-4 after the first quarter. The Wolverines scored 11 in the second quarter, but trailed, 34-15, at the half.

The Wolverines, who fell to Avery County on Jan. 6, are now 7-5 overall, and 1-2 in Western Highlands Conference play.

“Our shots weren’t falling,” noted Polk Coach Brandy Alm. “We gave a 100 percent effort,” Alm added. “We came to life in spurts, then we relaxed.”

One reason Polk came up short in some rebound situations was the absence of Sarah Phipps, who just returned home from a long vacation, and will return to the lineup next week.

“We’ll have Sarah for Monday when Polk hosts North Henderson,” said Alm.

“She’s a leader on and off the court,” Alm noted. However, in the absence of Phipps, “everyone stepped up,” Alm emphasized. “I’m proud of the girls. They’ve started to come together on and off the court.”

With few exceptions on Wednesday, the Wolverines were unable to penetrate the Rockets’ defense. Hayley Kropp dashed through to make welcome layups, but for much of the evening, Reynolds forced the Wolverines to take long shots, many of which were a bit off line.

One of Kropp’s scoring layups closed the guests’ lead to 60-46, but Reynolds scored a two-point goal at the final buzzer.

Polk also had to contend with the tall and talented Dallas Warren, whose two consecutive three-pointers gave Reynolds a 33-10 lead near the end of the second quarter.

While Phipps is expected back in the lineup on Monday, feisty guard India Godlock, who suffered an ankle sprain in the Jan. 2 Mitchell game, could be out for another three or four weeks.

After hosting North Henderson on Jan. 12, the Wolverines host Owen on Jan 14, in a game originally scheduled for Jan 13.