By Ken Lay
Black Oak Ridge rivals Central and Halls renewed acquaintances on the basketball court, and the Lady Bobcats won their fourth consecutive game on Tuesday night.
Central used a big fourth quarter to pull away and capture a 67-48 victory against its longtime rival.
After a tightly contested first quarter, the Lady Bobcats (5-4 overall, 1-0 in District 3-4A) created a separation between themselves and the Lady Devils (0-6, 0-1). Central led, 17-14, at the end of the opening frame before extending its advantage to 32-24 by halftime.
The Lady Bobcats held the upper hand throughout the game, but late in the third stanza, Halls enjoyed a bit of a surge as sophomore guard Bella Wires buried the final two shots of the quarter, both from beyond the 3-point arc, trimming the Lady Devils’ lead to 49-42.
Halls, playing at home, appeared poised to challenge and possibly pick up their first victory of the season.
But the Lady Bobcats had other ideas.
They cranked up the defensive pressure, which had been constant throughout the game. But it appeared to go up another gear. The defense not only smothered the Lady Devils, but it also led to points in the form of lay-ups and free throws.
When the dust had settled, Central tallied the first 14 points of the final frame on its way to closing the game with a flourish by outscoring the Lady Devils, 18-6, over the last eight minutes of the game.
Wires, who scored the final six points of the third period, wasn’t around at the end as she fouled out with 5 minutes, 20 seconds remaining in the contest.
The Lady Bobcats’ defense held Halls High’s offense at bay. The Red Devils finally scored their first points of the fourth quarter when senior Mollie Addison Turner made a basket with 2:38 to play.
Lady Bobcats’ coach LeBrandon Marie was pleased with his squad’s defensive effort. He was, however, pleasantly surprised to discover that the Lady Devils managed to score just six fourth-quarter points.
“That’s pretty good,” Marie said. “Defense wins championships, and that’s what we preach.”
“This was a big win for us because this is such a tough place to play.”
The stifling defense, coupled with a balanced offensive attack, provided the ingredients for a winning recipe for Central on this night.
Avery Brewer had a game-high 22 points for the Lady Bobcats, while Malia Moore added 19. Teighley Fowler had eight points, all in the fourth quarter.
Brimley Wilson led the Lady Devils with 18 points, including 13 before halftime. Wires finished with 16.
