Lady Warriors eliminate Eastside

In the first round of the 7-8 grade county postseason tournament Thursday night, the Centertown Lady Warriors finally got the Lady Bulldogs off their back.
Eastside swept both games during the regular season and it came down to this tournament matchup to decide who would win and advance. With nothing to lose and their pride on the line, the Centertown Lady Warriors defeated Eastside, 19-11.
Lady Bulldog Kapri Talley had been putting up big numbers in the two games prior to Thursday night. Centertown focused much of its defense around Talley and with the exception of four points in the first quarter, the plan worked. Centertown’s defense clamped down and kept the main source of scoring for Eastside at bay.
It was 13-11 with the slight two-point advantage favoring the Lady Warriors to start the fourth. Drew Davis, who had not scored in the previous three quarters for Centertown, was finally in the scoring column.
The story of the game for the Lady Warriors was their defense in the fourth quarter. Centertown held the Lady Bulldogs scoreless in the closing period. The Lady Warriors still needed to protect the ball if they were going to maintain the lead after some missed free throws. It was too late and time had expired on the Lady Bulldogs as they were defeated in the first round by the Lady Warriors.
Eastside jumped out to an early lead and it looked as though Centertown might be in for another dose of Lady Bulldog offense. Grayson Hillis and Kyla Baker assisted Talley in scoring points in the first quarter for the Lady Bulldogs.
Abbey Bain found points inside and Gracie Self connected on two free throws for the Lady Warriors.
The second quarter is when the Lady Warrior defense stepped up big for Centertown. It was able to keep the ball away from Talley and forced Eastside into making bad decisions. By putting the pressure on the Eastside offense and forcing turnovers, Centertown was off to the races in transition. Four separate Lady Warriors would score before the halftime break.
Eastside had work to do after Centertown had come back to claim the lead at the half 11-8. It was the Lady Bulldogs who turned the tables on Centertown and quickly slowed the Lady Warrior momentum. Macie Walker was the lone source of scoring in the third.
Up next for the Lady Warriors is the No. 1 seed Dibrell Lady Wildcats, who have remained un-beaten this season.
LADY WARRIOR SCORING – Gracie Self 4, Page Duke 3, Macie Walker 3, Drew Davis 3, Ricki Valenta 1
LADY BULLDOG SCORING – Kapri Talley 4, Rylie Crawford 3, Grayson Hillis 2, Lexie Loader 1, Kyla Baker 1.

Lady Tigers take down Boyd

The Irving College Lady Tigers battled it out with the Boyd Christian Lady Broncos on Thursday night in the first round of the 7-8 grade county postseason tourney.
Boyd did try to hold Irving College, but in the end the keen eye of the Lady Tigers offense was too much and the Lady Broncos were defeated, 46-29.
Lady Tiger Hannah Lee led Irving College with 18 points.
It was Lee’s night and she started the game red-hot in the first quarter by hitting two huge 3-pointers to pull away from the Lady Broncos in the opening quarter. She was assisted by Caylie Sherrell and three other Lady Tigers.
Stephanie Mullins would be the sole source for Boyd offense in the opening period, dropping in six of her 17-point total in the first quarter. Mullins would need help if the Lady Broncos were going to pull the upset.
Mullins got the help she needed from Erica Cantrell and Alaina Stiles, but the Lady Broncos would need more to get back in contention for a shot at the win. Boyd’s defense stepped up big in the game slowing the Irving College offense but not completely. Sherrell provided the spark to continue the Lady Tiger march to victory.
Going into the halftime down 10 points Boyd knew it would have to dig down deep and put in extra work on the defensive side of the ball if the Lady Broncos had any hopes of pulling out a win.
The third quarter went just as Boyd wanted on the defensive side of the ball. Lee played a key role in maintaining the lead in the third quarter. Now the problem was not stopping the Irving College offense but how does Boyd put points on the board?
Mullins needed help on offense because Irving College turned its focus toward her late in the game. She did get a little help from Jaden Vining but it just would not be enough as the Lady Tigers were on a roll.
Six Lady Tigers scored in the remaining period as time became a factor for Boyd. Frustration was apparent and Boyd just could not get everyone on the same page and the Lady Broncos would fall to the Lady Tigers, 46-29.
Irving College Lady Tigers will move on to the second round to face the No. 2 seed Morrison Lady Eagles in a game to be played Monday.
LADY TIGER SCORING – Hannah Lee 18, Caylie Sherrell 12, Kenley Cathcart 4, Emily Fults 4, Jillian Frankman 4, Karissa Smartt 2, Kayda Pinegar 2
LADY BRONCO SCORING – Stephanie Mullins 17, Erica Cantrell 7, Jaden Vining 4, Alaina Stiles 1