Top Girl Squads Battle on Monday at SPU
By Colin Caruso
| Monday- January 21 – Girls | Game 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Brougham Pavilion – 10:30am | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Wilson | 17 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 53 | |
| Cleveland | 9 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 60 | |
Wilson jumped out to an early 11-4 lead, capitalizing on missed free throws from Cleveland and forcing turnovers with their relentless defense. Cleveland didn’t help their cause, missing some tough shots and giving Wilson a 17-9 lead at the end of the first.
Cleveland began their come back against man to man in the second, forcing Wilson to switch into zone. Both teams did a great job creating opportunities off the dribble and getting to the rim. Cleveland began full court pressing late in the second quarter, disrupting the Wilson offense and creating fast break opportunities. Cleveland guard Makayla Roper was held scoreless in the first quarter, but broke out with eight points for the Eagles in the second.
Wilson continued to do a good job of getting to the rim in the third quarter, as they converted on several inside scoring chances. Cleveland extended their lead to 45-35 at the end of the third, primarily hitting mid-range jump shots.
The Cleveland Eagles began pouring in the points early in the fourth, beating Wilson down the floor and capitalizing on defensive breakdowns. Cleveland extended their lead to 16 mid-way through the fourth but Wilson came back on a 11-0 run to cut the lead to five. Clutch free-throws by Roper in the final seconds secured a 60-53 victory for the Cleveland Eagles.
Leading Scorers:
Cleveland
Makayla Roper (23)
Myzhanique Ladd (11)
Wilson
Bethany Montgomery (18)
Tia Briggs (9)