Springwood girls, boys end Trinity series with wins; loses to The Oaks
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LANETT — The Springwood School swept its home portion of a doubleheader with Trinity Christian School on Dec. 9, with the Lady Wildcats routing the Lady Eagles 66-15 and the Wildcats staging a fourth-quarter comeback to down the Eagles 51-47.
They were the second leg of a home-and-home series between the two schools. The Lady Wildcats clawed the Lady Eagles 78-12 in the first game, while the Eagles handily dispatched the Wildcats 57-44. Those initial games were on Dec. 5 in Opelika.
With those results, the SS girls’ team improved to 6-1, while the boys’ team improved to 6-3. The TCS girls’ team fell to 0-2, and the boys’ team must regroup with a 3-2 record.
Lady Wildcats 66, Lady Eagles 15
The Lady Wildcats began the game with a bang, racing out to an early 16-4 first-quarter lead behind the fast-break prowess of eighth-grade guard AC Jackson and senior guard Tori Patillo, who combined for 14 points.
In the second quarter, SS extended its advantage with a 27-4 run fueled by Vega Monsalve’s eight points, most of which came in transition opportunities, and excellent three-point shooting.
Up 43-8 coming out of halftime, the Lady Wildcats flexed their defensive muscle, holding TCS scoreless in the third quarter while continuing to dominate fast-break plays and work the ball into the paint on set plays.
Following a 17-0 third-quarter run, SS opted to give its bench players some game time, and the Lady Eagles finished strong with a 7-6 run highlighted by impressive mid-range shooting.
Jackson led all scorers with 21 points, while Patillo and Monsalve contributed 20 and 10 points, respectively, for the Lady Wildcats.
Wildcats 51, Eagles 47
Opportunistic defensive plays and Reid House’s seven points helped the Eagles keep pace with dazzling three-point shooting by senior Wildcats guards Clarence Moore and Kori Key, who led SS to a 15-11 first-quarter run.
The second quarter was a star-studded showdown as Key and, particularly, Moore went toe-to-toe with TCS’ Reid House, Nate Riddle and Harrison Weeks. Those five players combined to score 29 of the 33 total points scored in the period as the Wildcats went on an 18-15 run.
Down 33-26 entering the third quarter, the Eagles fought their way back into the game with a 15-7 run that featured a suffocating half-court defense and a balanced scoring approach that gave them a 41-40 lead entering the fourth quarter.
In the final period, the Wildcats came roaring back as their defense closed down the lanes and attacked the paint to the tune of an 11-6 run that was highlighted by all five of Adam Baltes’ points.
Moore led all scorers with 21 points, and Key contributed 19 points for the Wildcats. House led the Eagles with 19 points, while Riddle and Weeks scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
