UNDEFEATED HOWE SURVIVES SOUTHSIDE IN OT

An undefeated Howe squad took several punches from a fired-up Southside squad in Thursday's Tournament of Champions opening-round game. But it took overtime until the Lady Lions delivered the big blow. Howe opened the extra session by scoring six straight points; then scored the final six points as the Lady Lions outlasted the Mavericks, 75-66, at Southside Gym. "We told the kids (earlier Thursday) that we felt like it would be a good test but I didn't have any clue that (Southside) would shoot the ball as well as they did," Howe coach Chris Brown said. "I knew (Southside's Kelly Carson) could shoot the basketball, but some of those other kids (came through) and hit some big shots. "They threw some haymakers at us, but it was good for us; we needed to be able to respond to that against a team that's well-coached. ... We didn't do a very good job early, but I'm going to give (Southside) credit, they executed their offense and made shots. When you do those things, you're going to beat some people, but I'm definitely proud of our kids." With the win, the Lady Lions (7-0), ranked No. 2 in 2A, advance to the TOC semifinals at 8:30 p.m. today against a highly regarded Hamilton Heights squad from Tennessee. Hamilton Heights defeated Greenwood in its first-round game earlier on Thursday. Southside (1-5), on the strength of its outside shooting, jumped out to a 20-10 lead. The Mavericks went on to hit their first seven 3's, the latter from sophomore guard Montana Smith which gave them a 34-25 advantage late in the first half. Howe cut Southside's lead to four at halftime and then tied things up early in the third. Late in that quarter, Howe finally took its first lead of the night and extended it to seven, 59-52, on a basket from sophomore forward Jalei Oglesby with 6:10 left in the fourth. But Southside answered with an 11-0 run to go up by four, 63-59, with more than a minute left in regulation. After Howe senior forward Braden Dorsey broke the spurt with a basket, the Lady Lions quickly forced a turnover. That led to senior Taya Kellogg hitting two foul shots with 40 seconds left which tied it at 63-all, and the game eventually went into overtime. Oglesby opened the scoring in overtime with a backcourt steal, with her going in for an uncontested layup. Howe eventually went up by six, 69-63, on Dorsey's rebound and putback shot with 2:12 remaining. The Mavericks made it a one-possession game moments later when Carson knocked down a 3. But it was as close as Southside was able to get. Howe ended the game on a 6-0 run, starting with two foul shots from senior Lauren Ford with 1:03 left. The Lady Lions then rebounded a pair of missed shots, which led to two baskets in the closing seconds. "At halftime, we talked about getting stops defensively. ... Then offensively, we talked about getting touches in the lane and create some shots in the lane," Brown said. Despite the loss, Southside coach Steve Brown was encouraged by the play of his young squad. The Mavs turn around and play Greenwood in the consolation round at 5:30 p.m. today. "Nothing could make a coach more prouder than the way they played. ... I told them we would be in the game if they executed," Steve Brown said. "Our young ones are coming along. "They've got to learn how to win, they just have to learn how to win." Oglesby had 24 points along with making two 3's and Dorsey added 21 points for the Lady Lions - 15 coming after halftime. Carson, a junior guard, led all scorers with 25 points and hit five 3's, while sophomore Hannah Schmidt added 12 points and two 3's. The Mavericks ended up with 11 3's, but just one following the third quarter.

UNDEFEATED HOWE SURVIVES SOUTHSIDE IN OT

Photo Credit: Southside High School Athletics

Contact Us