20-3 second quarter run is the catalyst in Lady Panthers’ win over Worth County

Published 8:15 pm Friday, February 10, 2023

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AMERICUS – The Sumter County Lady Panthers (SCHS) outscored Worth County 20-3 in the second quarter and that proved to be the difference in a 49-30 victory for SCHS in the Panther Den on Friday, February 10.

The victory ends a four game losing streak for the Lady Panthers and they are now 4-19 on the season and 4-7 in the GHSA Region 1-AA standings.

“That was pretty much the difference,” SCHS head coach Sherri Harris said about her club’s 20-3 run in the second quarter. “We’ve bee working on a lot of things for the last three or four weeks. We actually got it going offensively with getting our bigs involved and they made some shots, as you saw tonight. They normally miss a lot of those easy baskets, but tonight, they knocked them down.”

Trelisha Williams led SCHS in scoring with 13 points and Haley Moore scored eight. Both Kamiyah Barron and D’Eria Clark also contributed to the Lady Panthers’ win, as they each chipped in seven points.

The first quarter was an evenly played quarter between both teams, with WC leading 10-9 going into the second quarter. However, the Lady Panthers scored four unanswered points early in quarter #2, including a three-pointer by Madison Shelton. Then with 5:29 to go before halftime, Shelton scored on a layup and Kamiyah Barron followed with another basket to complete an 8-0 by the Lady Panthers, as SCHS led 17-10.

Sumter County sophomore guard D’Eria Clark scored seven points in the Lady Panthers’ victory over Worth County.
Photo by Ken Gustafson

With 3:35 to go, Barron struck again with a three-pointer and it led to another 6-2 run by the Lady Panthers and a 23-12 lead over WC. During this run, SCHS was playing solid half court defense and the Lady Rams were struggling to score.

Scoring was not a problem for the Lady Panthers during this period of the game, as they were able to complete a 20-3 second quarter run to take a 29-13 lead at halftime.

Williams led the Lady Panthers in first half scoring with eight of her game total of 13 points.

Over the first three minutes of the third quarter, both teams struggled with turnovers and both teams traded baskets. By the 4:30 mark of the quarter, the Lady Panthers had a 34-18 lead.

Sumter County freshman guard Kamiyah Barron scored seven points in the win over Worth County.
Photo by Ken Gustafson

However, over the remaining minutes of the quarter, both teams struggled to score, as both teams were aggressive on the defensive end and forced each other into turnovers. Nevertheless, the Lady Panthers had a 38-24 lead with one more quarter to play.

Both teams struggled to score over the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, as both clubs continued to turn the ball over. However, at the 5:35 mark, D’Eria Clark scored on a layup to give SCHS a 41-25 lead.

Both teams continued to struggle offensively during the final minutes of the game, but the Lady Panthers did not allow WC to cut into their double-digit lead. As a result, SCHS went on to defeat the Lady Rams 49-30.

Ny’Keycia Walker led WC (9-15, 5-6 Region 1-AA) in scoring with eight points, while Qa’Shala Mency, Khalonee Bender and Kenslie Puckett each chipped in five points in the losing cause.