As Polk County rolls into the second half of a season where wins have been fleeting, head coach Brandy Alm has asked each player to set a series of goals, looking not only for improvement this season but beginning to build for the 2017-2018 campaign.

Which is why the third-year head coach remained upbeat in the wake of Wednesday’s 58-38 loss to Owen in a Western Highlands Conference matchup at Polk. There were bright spots to be found, individual efforts to laud, even if the final score didn’t fall in the Wolverines’ favor.

“We’re making progress,” Alm said. “Each one of them has set goals they want to reach, and they’re getting better every single time they step onto the court. I’m pleased with their effort and I love their heart. They gave 100 percent effort tonight. They never gave up.”

Owen (10-4, 1-3) opened the game with a 13-2 run, but Polk County (1-12, 0-5) pulled the deficit back to single digits and kept it there until the end of the period, when Owen grabbed a 22-11 lead.

The Warhorses then had a 12-1 run to open the second period, but again Polk responded, cutting the margin to 37-20 by the half. The lead hovered between 15 and 20 points throughout the final two quarters.

Autumn Owen scored 17 points and grabbed four rebounds to lead the Wolverines, with Ansley Lynch scoring 12 points. Mariah Overholt had a long 3-pointer as part of her five points, with Bella Marino and Ava Marino each scoring two points.

Polk County travels to Hendersonville on Friday to face the winless Bearcats.

Submitted by PolkSports.com