The Lady Pride obtained a huge momentum shifting win against the Broughton Capitals on Thursday night, in a one sided game where it was all Pride from the beginning. After a 3 game win streak came to a screeching halt against Millbrook on Tuesday night, the Lady Pride got right back to business from the opening tip off.
The Lady Pride’s hot start was catapulted by Lucy Leen, senior point guard, who scored two three pointers, and Kyle McGhee, sophomore guard, who laid in a few buckets to start the contest, giving Leesville a 10-0 lead with 5:53 left in the first quarter. Leen was the Lady Pride’s leading scorer, finishing with 12 points. Broughton did not score a point during the first quarter. The quarter was capped off by a buzzer beating shot by Mary Mabry, sophomore guard. Mabry finished the game with 6 points and 3 rebounds.
The focal point of the Lady Pride team on Thursday night was their defense. Their tight man zone press defense forced Broughton to take irritational shots throughout the course of the game, a few of which ended up in air balls. Meanwhile, the Lady Pride executed good ball movement on offense and had the Capitals on their heels at all times on defense. By halftime, the score was 29-4 for the Lady Pride, and the game was well out of reach for Broughton by that point.
In the second half, Nia Young, junior guard for the Lady Pride, began to take over on offense. Finishing with 11 points on the night, Young drove to the basket with a purpose and tore apart the defense of Broughton for the easy lay-in on multiple occasions. Mabry and Young did most of the offensive work in the third quarter, along with Amani Kearney, sophomore guard, who also made her impact on defense.
The Lady Pride never let up on their opponents until the game went to triple zeros. The game finished with a final score of 51-20, and the Lady Pride looked more than dominant in the win. The Leesville women’s team moved to 7-3 overall, and 3-1 in conference play. Next up for the Lady Pride is the John Wall Invitational tournament, where Leesville will take on Southern Durham.
Stars of the Game:
Lucy Leen
Leen led the Lady Pride in scoring with a few three pointers, but also made some good field goals close to the basket. Leen’s ball handling also created good scoring opportunities for the Lady Pride throughout the night.
Nia Young
Every single one of Young’s 11 points were hard fought and earned. Scoring from off a fastbreak, driving into the basket, or shooting from long distance, Young’s talents were on full display for the home audience to gander and watch.
Mary Mabry
Mabry finished the game with 6 points, but was also a key player on defense. Mabry ran back to the ball full speed and stayed with her opponents while they attempted to execute offensive plays, disrupting many of them. Mabry’s defense helped the Pride force the uncomfortable shots Broughton did not want to take.
