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Lauren Taylor puts up a shot inside. (Photo by Kevin Angle)
Three times in the first half, Lauren Taylor followed her only miss with a basket as she scored 7 of her game-high 9 points before intermission, leading the Bryant White Lady Hornets eighth grade team of Bryant Middle School to a 17-2 start against the Conway White Lady Cats Thursday night.
The Lady Cats never recovered as the Lady Hornets pinned down a 31-16 victory at the BMS gym.
The win improved Bryant White’s record to 7-4 going into a home battle with Russellville on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
Kaitlyn Weng added 8 points including a pair of 3’s. Kristyn Weng scored 6 and Jaiyah Jackson 4.
The Lady Hornets held Conway White without a field goal in the game until there was just 1:01 left in the first half. That’s when Cydney Foster hit a running jumper to end a 15-0 run by Bryant White.
Taylor’s first stickback and a pair of free throws in four tries by the Lady Cats had the game tied 2-2. Over the final 3:43 of the first quarter and the first 4:59 of the second, Conway White was unable to score.
Jaiyah Jackson (21) pulls up to shoot in the lane over the Conway White defense as teammate Kristyn Weng (24) looks to get into rebounding position. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
The Lady Hornets took the lead on a layup off a steal by Kristyn Weng. Bryant White jumped into its press at that point and forced a turnover. Taylor, following her own miss, made it 6-2.
Conway White missed two chances to break through but couldn’t get shots to fall. So when Kaitlyn Weng’s first triple swished, it was 9-2 going into the second quarter.
Taylor scored off the offensive glass to renew to surge. Kaitlyn Weng added a 3 and Kaitlyn Weng knocked down a 2-pointer from the corner. When Taylor hit a free throw with 4:01 left in the second quarter, it was 17-2.
After Foster broke the ice for Conway White, Rachel Buck knocked down a 15-footer off an assist from Kaitlyn Weng to make it 19-4. Foster scored again in the closing seconds to make it a 13-point difference at the half.
The Lady Cats opened the second half with a pair of baskets to cut the margin under double digits but Kristyn Weng fed Taylor for a bucket to push it back to 11 and it was never that close again.
Rachel Buck (35) tries to protect the ball against a Conway White defender. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
In the final two minutes of the third quarter, Kaitlyn Weng drilled her second trey and Jackson hit a jumper in the lane to extend the lead to 27-10. A pair of free throws by Lacey Larkins in the final minute made it a 15-point lead going into the final period.
Head coach Ben Perry had already started to mix in his reserves and the starters played very little in the fourth quarter except for Jackson who had to sit out much of the first half with a pair of fouls.
A turnaround jumper by Lexi Rose and two free throws by Jackson in the first minute of the final period extended the Bryant White lead to 31-12.
LADY HORNETS 31, LADY WAMPUS CATS 16
Score by quarters
Conway White 2 4 6 4 — 16
BRYANT WHITE 9 10 8 4 — 31
LADY CATS 16
Tistle 1-7 1-2 3, Cy.Foster 3-7 0-0 6, Larkins 1-4 3-4 5, Clifton 0-6 0-0 0, Seme 0-2 0-0 0, Ca.Foster 0-1 0-0 0, Brooks 0-2 0-0 0, Romero 0-3 0-0 0, Hill 0-0 0-0 0, Johnson 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 6-33 4-6 16.
LADY HORNETS 31
Jackson 1-4 2-2 4, Kr.Weng 2-8 1-2 6, Ka.Weng 3-12 0-0 8, Buck 1-2 0-0 2, Taylor 4-10 1-2 9, Oyemoia 0-2 0-0 0, Alvarado 0-1 0-0 0, Robinson 0-2 0-0 0, Rose 1-3 0-0 2, Green 0-3 0-0 0, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Powell 0-0 0-0 0, Ball 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-47 4-6 31.
Three-point field goals: Bryant White 3-8 (Ka.Weng 2-3, Kr.Weng 1-3, Jackson 0-1, Oyemoia 0-1), Conway White 0-3 (Tistle 0-1, Clifton 0-1, Brooks 0-1). Turnovers: Bryant White 16, Conway White 23. Rebounds: Bryant White 19-20 39 (Taylor 7-5 12, Kr.Weng 2-3 5, Ka.Weng 2-3 5, Buck 1-2 3, Alvarado 2-0 2, Smith 0-2 2, Jackson 1-0 1, Robinson 1-0 1, Rose 0-1 1, Green 1-0 1, team 2-4 6), Conway White 9-17 26 (Tistle 3-2 5, Clifton 1-3 4, Ca.Foster 0-4 4, Cy.Foster 2-0, Larkins 0-2 2, Brooks 1-1 2, Romero 0-2 2, Johnson 1-1 2, Seme 0-1 1, team 1-1 2). Team fouls: Bryant White 8, Conway White 5.
Lexi Rose (54) shoots over a Conway White player. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
