Lady Raiders use full-court pressure to tame Lady Wildcats
Published 1:52 am Tuesday, December 11, 2018
- Southland forward Holly McCain looks to pass. She led the Lady Raiders with 12 points against Crisp Academy. Photo by Ken Gustafson
CORDELE, GA – The Southland Academy Lady Raiders (6-1) used full-court pressure in the first quarter to take a 17-0 lead and never looked back on their way to a 47-21 victory over the Lady Wildcats of Crisp Academy on Monday, December 10.
“We wanted to jump on them and work on our press and that’s what we did,” Southland head coach Ty Kinslow said. “We got off to a good start. Once we had the game in control, we just backed off and worked on some other stuff. Everybody got in the game and everybody scored. That’s just a good team win.”
Southland forward Macy Williams goes up to try to score.
Photo by Ken Gustafson
The Lady Raiders had two players in double-figures. Holly McCain led SA in scoring with 12 points and Calyn Fort scored 11. Haleigh Warren had six points. Maddie Crisp had four points and Lauryn Griffin scored three. Maddie Milani led the Lady Wildcats with seven points.
SA began the game by scoring 11-straight points, including a three-pointer by Fort. The Lady Raiders added to the lead on three-straight baskets by McCain, making the score 17-0 by the end of the first quarter. They amassed this large lead due to their full-court pressure, which disrupted the Lady Wildcats’ ability to get any rhythm on offense. SA’s press forced turnovers, and the Lady Raiders turned them into points. The Lady Wildcats had chances to score in the opening quarter, but missed some easy shots on the inside. CA didn’t score until the second quarter when Milani hit two free throws with 7:29 left in the first half.
Southland guard Laney Griffin attempts a three-pointer. Griffin got a steal and scored on a layup near the end of the game.
Photo by Ken Gustafson
The Lady Raiders continued their onslaught in the second quarter and led 30-10 at halftime.
McCain led the Lady Raiders with 10 first-half points and Fort had eight. Milani scored six of her seven points in the first half for the Lady Wildcats.
SA went on a 5-0 run to start the second half, capped off by another basket by McCain. The Lady Wildcats moved the ball around the perimeter in the third quarter, looking for a high-percentage shot. However, the Lady Raiders’ zone defense made that extremely difficult. CA didn’t score in the third quarter, and the Lady Raiders led 38-10 going into the final quarter.
Southland guard Alli Dent playing solid defense against Crisp Academy’s Maggie Bullington.
Photo by Ken Gustafson
During the second half, the large lead allowed Kinslow to put in his reserves to give some valuable playing time. The reserves did not disappoint. In the fourth quarter, Lauren Griffin nailed a three-pointer, and her twin sister, Laney Griffin, got a steal and scored on a layup. The Lady Raiders went on to win 47-21.
Up next for the Lady Raiders is a home game against the Lady Hornets of Westfield on Friday, December 14. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
