Michael Pineda
VELMA — Beka Gates was one lonely, isolated guard during the second half of Bray-Doyle’s third-place game against Rush Springs and that spelled doom for the Lady Donkeys.
The Lady Redskins gave Bray-Doyle fits with its extended zone and never allowed it to get into an offensive rhythm in a 48-36 win. The Lady Donkeys committed 29 turnovers in the loss.
“We’ve had a lot of tough games in less than a week,” Bray-Doyle coach Jaicee Powers said. “I didn’t feel like it was one of our better games. Some of the credit goes to Rush Springs but we had entirely too many turnovers. It is just one game and we will learn from it and move on.”
Bray-Doyle started out well in the game, forcing the action and getting into the bonus early. The Lady Donkeys did leave points on the floor, converting 8-of-14 from the line. That did not keep them from getting out in front as a Gates basket with :06 remaining in the first quarter gave Bray-Doyle a 9-7 lead.
Gates scored six more points in the second quarter, including four in a row to give Bray-Doyle a 16-15 lead. The remainder of the half was back and forth as Rush Springs took a 19-18 lead into the half despite 14 Bray-Doyle turnovers.
That trend continued in the second half for Bray-Doyle. The biggest difference came in the way that the Lady Redskins made the Lady Donkeys pay.
Shelby Callihan came alive, scoring nine points including two 3-pointers to complement the inside play of Chandler Nichols, who had seven points in the quarter.
The Lady Redskins led by as much as 42-29 in the fourth quarter as their extended zone continued to wear down Bray-Doyle, which played timid in its offensive sets.
Sarah Justus went on a
personal five-point run to pull Bray-Doyle within 42-34. But the Lady Donkeys never found a way to put a lid on the turnovers as they fell 48-36.
