Lady Wave wins district for third straight year

Published 1:39 pm Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Lady Wave wins district for third straight year

North Delta Jr. High girls basketball team brought home their third-straight district championship. The Lady Wave defeated Lee Academy 51-44. Lee was the only team North Delta lost to in the district this past season.
The Panolian photo by Myra Bean

By Brad Greer
While St. Patrick’s Day is still a couple of weeks away, the Kirk Academy gym was doused with green Saturday as the North Delta Junior High Lady Green Wave captured its third consecutive district championship with a 51-44 win over Lee Academy.
Ally Alford led all scorers with 19 points, 12 in the fourth quarter, to help guide North Delta back from a 33-29 halftime deficit. Eliza Morris added 10 points including three key buckets in a pivotal third quarter.
“Lee came out and hit a few shots early in the game. We were in a zone defense and then went to a press which caused some turnovers. We did a better job of rebounding the ball in the second half. This was your classic championship game with two good teams going back and forth, but finally we got them in some foul trouble in the fourth quarter and was able to pull away there at the end,” said North Delta head coach Harrison Nickle.
Both teams traded blows in the first quarter as Lee took an early 8-2 lead before the Green Wave went on a 15-6 run keyed by six points from Shelby Grace Boone. Sydney Talley added a field goal and two free throws to give North Delta a 17-14 advantage.
The Green Wave took a slim 24-23 lead with 3:08 left in the half before Lee’s Maggie Ethridge knocked down a pair of three-pointers, coupled with three field goals from Emily Moser gave the Phillies a 33-29 lead at the break.
North Delta reeled off six straight points as the third quarter got underway to led 35-33. Morris held the hot hand as her soft jumper in the lane followed a basket off a turnover putting the Green Wave ahead.
Moser, who was held to three points in the second half, hit a three-pointer at the buzzer as both teams went into the final quarter deadlocked 39-39.
Each team traded baskets to start the fourth period before Alford took over down the stretch by accounting for all of her team’s 12 points in the quarter on five-of-eight shooting which included a three-pointer with 4:08 remaining to give the Wave a 49-42 cushion.
North Delta’s defense played a key role in the second half by holding Lee to four field goals and 11 points in the second half.
“Ally picked up her fourth foul late in the third quarter but completely took over the game in the fourth quarter. She was no doubt the best player on the court today and I always want the ball in her hands when the game is on the line. But give credit to Eliza, Shelby Grace and Sydney for taking up the slack when some shots weren’t falling. It was a total team effort today and winning three straight championships with these young ladies is something special,” said Nickle.
Talley finished with nine points while Boone garnered six. Libby Miller and Griffin Rico chipped in with two points each. Sophie Williams finished with two points.
North Delta ended the season with a 23-2 record
Bayou Acad. boys 56, ND 51
The North Delta Junior High boys saw its season come to an end Thursday with a 56-51 semi final round loss to Bayou.
Carter Rineheart led the way with 17 points followed by Ryan Gibson’s 13 points. Drake Barton tallied nine while Grayson Alford garnered eight points on two three-pointers. Layton Wells rounded out the scoring with four points.
Meanwhile, the District 1-AAA varsity tournament is set to get underway Thursday at Bayou with the North Delta boys taking on the host Colts at 7:15 .
The Lady Green Wave hits the court Friday at 6:15 also against Bayou with the championship and consolation games set for Saturday. The top four teams advance to the North AAA State tournament next week at North Delta.

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