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December 27, 2012

Empire girls win in Chesapeake Energy Arena

DUNCAN — The Oklahoma City Thunder are good at home, but nobody is quite as good inside the Chesapeake Energy Arena as the Empire Lady Bulldogs.

For the third straight year, the Lady Bulldogs got to play a game inside the NBA arena and for the third straight time they won, drubbing Wilson, 47-23 on Thursday.

“It’s a really great experience for the kids,” Empire coach Jason Allensworth said of playing in the Chesapeake Energy Arena, in a game that proceeded the Thunder’s game against Dallas. “This is the third year in a row we have had the chance to do this and we love it.”

If the Lady Bulldogs had any butterflies from stepping into the arena, which seats just shy of 20,000, it didn’t show. Empire jumped out to a 16-2 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, stretching the lead in every period.

That fast start came courtesy of the Lady Bulldogs’ post tandem of seniors Ashlie Atkinson and Alyssa George, who each scored eight points in the first period. Atkinson finished with a team-high 18 points, while George had 14.

“We’ve really been working on (getting the ball into the post) and on our half-court set, finishing those sets,” Allensworth said.

Junior guard Melaina Yearby added six points for Empire, while junior Jessica Carney and freshmen Sherre Dewey and McKenna Collins each had two and junior Kaelyn Allensworth added one point.

The Lady Bulldogs will cap 2012 at 9-2 before kicking off the new year on Jan. 4 as they take on Big Pasture.



BOYS

WILSON 56,

EMPIRE 30

The Empire Bulldogs couldn’t keep up with a speedy Wilson squad on Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

The Bulldogs fall to 3-8 on the season.

No other information was made available.

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