Boyd, Hickory Creek on Collision course
The stage is officially set for one of the biggest games of the elementary basketball season. Boyd and Hickory Creek both took care of business Monday night, keeping their perfect records intact and setting up an undefeated showdown Thursday in a rematch of last year's county championship game.
The Lady Broncos rolled past Eastside 24-6 while the Lady Hawks handled Bobby Ray 27-12, pushing both teams to 5-0. The two programs have been on a collision course since the season began, and Thursday's meeting at Hickory Creek will give one team sole possession of first place in Warren County's third-through-fifth-grade girls basketball league.
The Warren County Sports Authority will be at Hickory Creek with a live broadcast of the 6 p.m. matchup this week.
Boyd has been dominant throughout its first five games, and Monday was no exception. The Lady Broncos got matching 10-point performances from Juliette Ferguson and Sky Wright, who each outscored Eastside by themselves.
Ferguson continued to emerge as another dangerous offensive weapon for Boyd while Wright, one of the team's early-season standouts, helped keep the Lady Broncos rolling. Scarlett Ferguson and Oly Cathcart added two points apiece to round out the scoring.
Eastside got two points each from Mia Rodriguez, Brynlee Woodlee and Elizabeth Grigg, but the Lady Bulldogs couldn't generate enough offense to keep pace. The loss dropped Eastside to 2-3.
Boyd has now outscored teammates by over 100 points with an average victory margin of more than 27 points. The Lady Broncos have yet to be seriously threatened, but that figures to change Thursday against another team that has been just as impressive.
Hickory Creek also continued its unbeaten march Monday, using a balanced attack to dispatch Bobby Ray.
Kimber Lowe led the Lady Hawks with 10 points, continuing to establish herself as one of the league's most dependable scoring threats. Hattie Scott added six points while Abi Lewis finished with four. Iris Bouldin, Daisy George and Addy Walters scored two apiece while Blakely Martin added one.
Hickory Creek's depth has continued to be its strength, especially with multiple scoring options popping up every night. They’ll need a full effort Thursday if the team hopes to continuing its local winning streak, which has now moved up to 16 games dating back to last year.
Bobby Ray got six points from Nyla Millraney, four from Devyn Gennings and two from Avery Dodson.
Irving College survives West's challenge
Irving College remained undefeated Monday, but the Lady Tigers had to withstand one of their toughest challenges of the season before pulling away for a 21-12 victory over West.
The Lady Wizards entered the fourth quarter trailing just 11-7 and made one final push when Kayleigh Redmon powered her way into the paint for a basket early in the period. Her strong post-up brought West within a single possession, putting pressure on Irving College to respond.
Sophia Stubblefield had the answer.
The Lady Tigers' standout guard took over down the stretch, repeatedly breaking through West's pressure and racing to the basket for layups. Stubblefield scored six points in the final quarter, turning a competitive game into another victory for Irving College.
She finished with a game-high 12 points, accounting for more than half of the Lady Tigers' offense. Willow Hertwig added eight points, continuing to expand her offensive contributions while remaining one of Irving College's most important defenders. Hertwig also supplied a pair of key baskets during the fourth-quarter push.
Mosley Pepper added one point to complete the scoring for Irving College.
West made the Lady Tigers work throughout the night, showing improvement on both ends of the floor. Itzel Cardenas-Lopez led the Lady Wizards with six points while Redmon, Novalee Wood and Aubrey Arthur scored two apiece.
Redmon's fourth-quarter basket was particularly impressive, using her strength to establish position inside and finish through a physical matchup. The Lady Wizards were able to keep Irving College within reach for much of the contest before Stubblefield's late surge proved too much.
Morrison shuts out Dibrell
Points were hard to come by Monday at Morrison, but the Lady Eagles found enough offense to earn their second consecutive victory, defeating Dibrell 8-0.
Four Morrison players contributed one basket each as Julianna Hawkins, Lola Murphy, Piper Huff and Tinleigh George all scored two points.
The Lady Eagles' defense was the story, holding Dibrell scoreless throughout the contest. Morrison has now won back-to-back games after opening the season with three losses, following its dramatic 10-9 victory over West with another defensive battle.
The win improved Morrison to 2-3 while Dibrell dropped to 0-6.
Morrison has scored just 18 points in its last two outings, but the Lady Eagles have allowed only nine. Their ability to keep games close defensively has helped turn their season around as the schedule approaches its midway point.
Girls standings
Boyd 5-0
Hickory Creek 5-0
Irving College 4-0
Centertown 3-1
Eastside 2-3
Morrison 2-3
Bobby Ray 1-4
West 0-5
Dibrell 0-6
This week's schedule
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Centertown at Irving College, makeup game
Thursday, Oct. 22
Boyd at Hickory Creek, 6 p.m.
Centertown at Morrison, 6 p.m.
Irving College at Dibrell, 6 p.m.
