By Marco Clark
Coach Akilah Issac and her Lady Gators took the home court[1] Tuesday night to face off against the Lady Wolverines of Mansfield. The Lady Gators were looking for a win to get back on track in preparation for the upcoming district games, but the Lady Wolverines had other plans. Mansfield got off to a fast start scoring on their first three possessions to take an early 6-0. The Lady Gators were unable to answer on their side of the court, turning the ball over on their first four possessions. The Lady Wolverines took advantage of Lakeview’s misfortunes to extend the lead 23-0 to end the first quarter.
Mansfield’s Peyton Peoples led all scores in the first with 10 points. The Lady Wolverines’ Jada Burrell stole Lakeview’s inbound pass and scored 2 to extend their lead 25-0. Lakeview’s Derika Browder took an inbound pass the length of the floor to score Lakeview’s first bucket of the game with 5:34 left in the half. Breanna Harrison added a 3-pointer. The Lady Wolverines Kahia Warmsley opened the third with a deep 3-point shot to bring the Mansfield fans to their feet. Lakeview was not discouraged. They continued to fight despite trailing the Lady Wolverines 52-23 at the end of the third. In the final quarter both teams cleared their benches allowing their back-ups to get significant playing time and while avoiding late injuries to their starters.
Jada Williams with 16 points and Derika Browder with 11 led the Lady Gators in scoring. The Lady Gators will participate in the Minden Tournament Dec. 16–18.