Sports
Alexander Breezes By New Lexington
By: Rob Ellerhorst
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After entering the half tied at 20, Alexander jumped out of the gate in the second half going on a 15-2 run. The Lady Spartans also forced six turnovers during the run, helping them defeat the New Lexington Lady Panthers 47-39.
The Richardson sisters and Jala Mace reigned as scoring leaders for Alexander. Leah Richardson finished with 14 points, all scored in the second half. Rachel Richardson contributed 12 points and Mace added 13 points.
“The theme of the game for us was just to do the things that we’re supposed to be doing,” head coach Cory McKnight said. “We weren’t playing up to standards in the first half, but once we pushed Leah into hitting her shots we just sort of took off from there.”
Mace proved valuable on both sides of the ball, something McKnight said helped the team in the first round playoff game.
“I’m especially proud of (Jala) Mace, who makes our defense pretty dang good when she plays the way she did today.” McKnight said.
New Lexington did make a push, but Alexander held onto possession too long for the Lady Panthers to mount a comeback.
The Lady Panthers were carried for most of the game by Allie Russell’s 23 points. Russell scored New Lexington’s first 12 points.
Alexander moves onto the second round of the Division III state tournament, facing Minford on Feb. 20.