Andrew Lewis Outlasts Lady Dukes

Andrew Lewis Outlasts Lady Dukes

By David Gravely

Dublin Middle School sixth grader Taylor Dickerson hit a jump shot from just outside the free throw box to give the Lady Dukes their first lead of the game in the opening seconds of the third quarter, but Andrew Lewis was able to outscore Dublin in the second half to take home a 30-24 win.

The Wolverines started the game off on a hot streak, taking a 6-0 lead before Lady Dukes Head Coach Buddy Farris called a time out to calm his team down and get them on the right track. The Lady Dukes responded with tough defense and more aggressive drives to the basket, and by the end of the first quarter the score was tied at 6-6.

The young Lady Dukes team had trouble offensively for most of the night, missing multiple opportunities at the free throw line to take the lead. The half ended with Andrew Lewis holding on to a 11-10 lead. The Lady Wolverines should have had another two points, but a split second before the buzzer sounded to end the quarter Alexis Phillips came through with a huge block to end the half.

"We've made some changes to our offense, and the girls are still learning" said Coach Farris. "We've got some young players out here, and while we can play solid defense, we really need our girls to settle down and run our offense. They just need some confidence and they need to take better shots. We also need to work on hitting our free throws."

Dickersons third quarter jump shot was immediately answered with a layup by Andrew Lewis on the other end of the court, but the Lady Dukes continued to play solid defense and keep the game close. A rally by the Lady Wolverines in the final seconds of the third quarter gave them four of their seven points for the quarter, putting the score at 18-14 going into the fourth.

Dublin went into a press defense in an attempt to force turnovers, but the Lady Wolverines were able to break the press and force fouls on the other end of the court for free throws. Down 18-26 with just under two minutes left, the Lady Dukes went on a six point run to bring it close, but Andrew Lewis finished the game strong at the free throw line to win 30-24.

Meredith Mitchell led the Lady Dukes with eight points. Taylor Dickerson, Moriah Hinton, and Amiah Stables added four points each, while Lexi Hurst added three point. Tianna Crockett rounded out the Lady Dukes scoring with one point. The loss moves the Lady Dukes to 6-4 on the season.