|
Lady War Eagle Madison
Lane and Brittany Luther battle for the ball
with Jessica Willis.
BRUCETON (January 22)
In high school basketball action, West
Carroll’s Brittany Luther’s spectacular
44-point scoring performance led the West
Carroll Lady War Eagles to a hard-fought
77-74 barnburner victory over a scrappy and
determined Central Lady Tigers squad.
In boys’ action, the War Eagles defeated
Central 87-48.
Lady War Eagles 77, Lady Tigers 74.
Spurred by Lady War Eagle Brittany Luther’s
solid 13-point performance, West Carroll led
Central 23-18 at the end of the first
period.
Luther continued her stellar offensive
performance in the second quarter by pumping
in 14 points for West Carroll. The Lady
Tigers, continuing to battle, trailed the
Lady War Eagles 41-35 at the half.
Central, utilizing multiple substitutions
and aggressive full-court pressure, turned
up the heat defensively on West Carroll in
the second half. Taking advantage of steals
and scores by Lady Tigers Jessica Willis and
Amber Kendall, Central cut West Carroll’s
lead to 55-53 at the end of the third
period.
Lady Tiger Brittany Farley converted two
free throws early in the fourth period to
tie the contest at 57-all. Central’s Amber
Kendall gave the Lady Tigers their first
lead of the contest at the 6:34 mark by
stealing the ball and scoring a two. Lady
War Eagle Luther sank two free throws at the
6:22 mark to tie the contest at 59-all.
Playing continued to intensify in the final
minutes of play as both teams continued to
swap leads and battle for control.
Central, scoring on consecutive Lady War
Eagle turnovers, surged ahead to lead 71-67
with 2:17 remaining in the contest.
The Lady War Eagles determinedly fought
back, utilizing solid passing and Luther’s
two-pointer in the paint to reclaim a 73-72
lead at the 1:34 mark.
West Carroll’s Madison Lane converted a free
throw to extend West Carroll’s lead to 74-72
with 59 seconds remaining.
Trailing 77-72 with 5 seconds remaining,
Lady Tiger Farley drilled a two to narrow
the Lady War Eagle lead to 77-74.
As fans of both teams stood on their feet,
Central successfully defended West Carroll’s
in bound attempt to gain possession of the
ball with 2.5 seconds on the clock.
In a final attempt to tie the score and
force the game into overtime, Central in
bounded the ball to Willis. Under heavy
defensive pressure, Willis fired and missed
a three point attempt at the buzzer to
secure the Lady War Eagle’s victory.
West Carroll was led offensively by Luther’s
stellar 44-point performance. Also
contributing scoring for the Lady War Eagle
were Emily Hall (14 points, two
three-pointers), Jessica Carter (8), Madison
Lane (6), Morgan Woodard (3), Ashley Powell
(1) and Whitney Foster (1).
The Lady Tigers were led offensively by
Jessica Willis (23 points, three
three-pointers) and Amber Kendall (17). Also
contributing scoring for the Lady Tigers
were Brittany Farley (10), Olivia Williams
(7), Alicia Parker (6), Haly Haynes (4),
Allyson Grooms (3), Chanencia Parker (2) and
Tiffany Cathey (2).
War Eagles 87, Tigers 48.
War Eagles' Troy Williams brings down the
rebound.
West Carroll jumped out to a 26-10 lead at
the end of the first period and utilized
Brandon Luther’s three three-pointer
performance to outscore Central 36-12 in the
second period to extend their lead to 62-22
at the half.
With West Carroll leading 78-36 at the end
of the third quarter, the War Eagles and
Tigers utilized reserves the remainder of
the contest, with the West Carroll
ultimately claiming a commanding 87-50
victory.
The War Eagles were led offensively by
Thomas Greer (15 points, two
three-pointers), Justin Scruggs (15 points,
two three-pointers), Brandon Luther (14
points, four three-pointers), Clint McClain
(12), and Xavier Cunningham (12 points, two
three-pointers). Also contributing scoring
for West Carroll were Juelius Taylor (eight
points, two three-pointers), Troy Williams
(5), Hayden McClain (4) and Donovan Wolfe
(2).
Central was led offensively by Haden
Williams (nine points, three
three-pointers), Homer Willis (8), Nick
Bryant (7), Bubba Matlock (six points, two
three-pointers). Also contributing scoring
for the Tigers were Dylan Castell (5), Chad
Jordan (4), Billy Stevens (3), Frank Hampson
(2), Chandler Jordan (2) and Matt Lane (2). |
The McKenzie Banner
