COLUMBIA — The Richard Winn Lady Eagles soared to victory over King’s Academy in the first round of the SCISA AA playoffs Friday night, besting the Lions 49-18.
The Lions had little to whimper about, much less roar about, in this lopsided contest.
The Eagles took control of the game early, racing out to a 20-1 lead in the first quarter and never looking back.
Junior captain Carson Justice led all scorers with 18 points. Jaycie Johnson had 14 and Jessie Stidham had 6 for the Lady Eagles.
Free throw shooting made a big difference in the game as well, with RWA hitting 11 of 18 from the charity stripe. RWA runs several different kinds of traps and presses and those defenses baffled the Lions all night.
All told, the RWA depth was too much for the scrappy point guard from King’s to deal with and it showed. The Lion’s 2-3 zone was no match for the athletic RWA guards, and when they had room to operate it freed up the post players down low.
On Monday, the Lady Eagles played the Calhoun Academy Cavaliers at the Sumter Civic Center. The teams averages 35.9 points and 35.1 rebounds per game.
Sophomore small forward/power forward Savannah Barker averages 9.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while senior power forward Melissa Cherry averages 8 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest. Senior Catherine Moore is another solid power forward who plays some three spot, too. She averages 7.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
The two teams met in December with RWA pulling out a 42-24 victory at home. They will have to protect the basketball against the Cavaliers who average 11.5 steals per game. Calhoun Academy ranks eighth in the state’s SCISA AA division, while Richard Winn comes in at number three.
If his team maintains its poise and composure, Coach Jason Haltiwanger said he liked his chances in the playoffs. With a young mix of new talent getting its first taste of the postseason, he admitted to being a bit nervous about how the girls will respond to the spotlight.
Results were not available in time for this edition, but a full report will be in the Friday edition of The Herald Independent.
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