Lady Pats soar past Lady Golden Eagles

Lady Pats soar past Lady Golden Eagles

The Marion Lady Patriots claim an impressive victory over Greene County Tech

sports@theeveningtimes.com

Behind a dominating third quarter, the Marion Lady Patriots (12-7 overall, 6-4 6A/5A-3 Conference) flew to a 58-46 victory over the Greene County Tech Lady Golden Eagles (12-6, 7-3).

The Lady Patriots, who ended the first half on an 10-3 run, carried momentum into a third stanza which the Marion team won 13-3. Lady Patriots Head Coach Shunda Johnson believes that aggressive play and containing the three-point line defensively contributed to the Lady Pats success.

“We just tried to make sure we knew where the shooters were,” Johnson said. “(Gramling) knocked down a three on the first possession for them. So, we had to defend the three-point line. Also, when we were inside the three-point line we were defending aggressively. I think that made a difference.”

Though the third stanza increased the Lady Pats separation from the Lady Golden Eagles, Marion’s success began from the opening tip-off. A 10-3 run to open the game lifted the Lady Patriots to 6-point lead after a first quarter which Marion’s Angel Davie pumped in 9 of her 14 points.

Davie’s hot start could have resulted from a lack of production in the last game between the teams, according to Johnson.

“Angel didn’t feel like she contributed offensively, last game in Paragould,” Johnson stated. “So, I think she came out with a scorer’s mentality. She is a scorer. She likes to score and she can score from any angle. Angel is one of those kids that when she’s feeling it, she’s feeling it.”

The Golden Eagles pulled within two points, after a bucket from Tiffany Gramling made it a 23-21 game midway through the second stanza. However, that is as close as Greene County Tech would come to the Lady Pats as Marion’s Marie Hunter sank a jump shot which ignited Marion’s aforementioned 10-3 run.

The spark from Hunter is something the Lady Pats have come to rely upon, according to Johnson.

“We’ve been bringing her off the bench and she’s been a spark both offensively and defensively,” Johnson claimed. “When she gets right in the gut of that zone and pulls up for that jump shot, that’s what she considers money.”

The Lady Patriots lead increased to 21 at one point, as Morgan Christian snagged an offensive rebound and drove the ball home with 6:14 remaining in the third stanza.

The Lady Golden Eagles finally found life in the final quarter, pumping in 19 points in the final eight minutes. However, the 26-6 run for the Lady Patriots, which lasted from the 3:45 mark of the second quarter until the 7:20 mark of the fourth quarter, proved to be too great an obstacle for the Greene County Tech team to overcome.

With the Marion victory, the two teams split the season series 1-1. Greene County Tech bested the Lady Pats in the first matchup 58-52 at Greene County Tech on December 9th. The two teams will not meet again this regular season.

Allie Thomas led the Lady Golden Eagles in scoring, besting all scorers with 17 points. Gramling also helped carry the Greene County Tech team offensively, chipping in 16. However, the duo’s teammates did little to assist the two scorers in the loss as the rest of the team only accounted for 13 points.

Jakkya Clay blazed the way in scoring for the Lady Pats, pumping in 15 points. Davie finished second on the team in scoring, contributing 14 points in the victory. Hunter also finished with a double-digit scoring effort, ending the night with 10 points.

The Lady Patriots return to action tonight as the team travels to Wynne for a rematch against the Wynne Lady Yellowjackets (0-17, 0-8). The Lady Pats defeated the Lady Yellowjackets 79-21 in the team’s previous contest on December 16th. The rematch is slated for 5 p.m.

By Collins Peeples