Sports
Lady Bulldogs Beat Southern To Snap Losing Streak
By: Nick Ursini
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Streaks are meant to be broken.
10 games were enough as the Athens Lady Bulldogs (3-16) led from start to finish in a convincing 64-45 victory over the Southern Lady Tornadoes (11-10)
The tone for the game was set right from the tip; Rebound, push the ball, and don’t let the other team set up. This tactic resulted in a ton of fouls for both the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Tornadoes.
Lily Mills was a force for the Lady Bulldogs. It was one of the few times that Athens held the height-advantage in the game and they exploited that to the fullest.
Mills set picks for her guards and used her athleticism down low to create scoring chances for herself.
Mills recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Sharpshooter Laura Manderick went 1-for-8 in the first half from beyond the three-point line, but that did not stop her from driving to the hoop for layups.
The Lady Bulldogs took the lead after the first 16-14.
Athens had to resort to using another part of their game to score since shots were not falling; Working the ball around the perimeter, using pick-and-rolls to get to the rim and the free-throw line. Athens was in the 1-and-1 bonus within the first minute of the second quarter.
Athens’ defense buckled down and forced contested shot-after-shot for the Lady Tornadoes. The Lady Bulldogs increased their lead to 32-23 at the half, outscoring Southern 16-9 in the second quarter.
Coming out of the locker room, Athens’ game plan did not change. They continued working the ball around, take as much time as possible for a play to develop and find the open teammate. Athens outscored Southern 20-9 in the third, creating an insurmountable lead entering the final quarter.
Manderick finished with 25 points, five rebounds and three steals.
Emma Harter contributed 10 points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Lady Bulldogs get two days to recover before traveling to River Valley on Friday.