Lady Eagles soar to win over Boyd
After coming off their first District 8-A win last week over Mt. Juliet Christian, the Lady Broncos ran up against the Lady Eagles of Van Buren County Monday night at home.
A big third quarter by the Lady Eagles, and nine turnovers in the period by Boyd, resulted in a 64-42 win for Van Buren County, which improved to 4-2 district play.
It was an offensive struggle for both teams in the first period. Lauren Grissom and Martha Grissom had the Lady Eagles’ three points in the quarter. For the Lady Broncos Lyndsey King hit to open the game at the 7:16 mark, Tabitha King hit from the paint and Emily Newby closed out the period with a basket to give Boyd a 6-3 lead.
Grissom caught fire for the Lady Eagles in the second period as she opened the period with a long-range 3-pointer and added back-to-back baskets, giving Van Buren a 10-8 lead with six minutes left in the half.
Tabitha King tied things back up with a jumper from the baseline, and with 3:50 on the clock Courtney Hard hit a 3, putting Boyd back on top 13-12. Tabitha King added seven more points in the period with Lydia Powell and Jennifer Laxton adding one basket each before the break.
Van Buren continued to stay hot as Lauren Grissom added another 3 and the Lady Eagles closed out the period hitting 7-of-10 from the foul line to take a 29-23 lead at the break.
Three 3-pointers by Van Buren and costly mistakes by the Lady Broncos broke the game open for the Lady Eagles after halftime. Lauren Grissom continued to hit from the field and Porsche McDonald hit for 12 points in the period, including two 3’s, as the Lady Eagles racked up 25 points in the third. The Broncos had seven points in the period, including a 3-pointer by Powell, and trailed 54-30 by the end of the third.
The Lady Broncos went to work on the boards during the final period. Offensive rebounds by Leah Walker and Tabitha King helped Boyd cut into the lead. Newby hit Boyd’s final four points of the game, but the Lady Eagles added 10 points in the quarter, enough to hold on for the victory.
Tabitha King led the Lady Broncos in scoring with 15 points, followed by Hard with seven, Newby had six, Powell five, Walker hit for four, Lyndsey King had three and Laxton added two points.
For the Lady Eagles, Lauren Grissom led all scores with 20 points. McDonald hit for 15, Nakisha Guy added 11, Elizabeth Cope had six, Martha Grissom and Howard added four points each. Tasha Ballew and Amanda Wittenburg scored two points each.
The Lady Broncos will be in action Friday at home against Murfreesboro’s Middle Tennessee Christian School.