“We knew it was going to be a huge challenge, and so far this year we have stepped up to the challenge,” Rudder head coach John Shelton said. “Tonight we had a great crowd. Everybody was really into the game, and like I’ve been saying, I think our defense is the best we’ve ever had.”
The Lady Rangers (16-1, 2-0) got big games from Deondra Young and Tianna Mathis. Young had 19 points and nine rebounds, while Mathis had 16 points and four rebounds. The duo also helped lead Rudder’s defensive effort.
“We did a good job today on blocking out, which is something we’ve tried to focus on the last week,” Shelton said. “We don’t like to set up and run offense. We like to get the rebound, get it out and go. Our best offense is transition from a missed shot, and I think we are getting better and better at it. We still have to make free throws, but we’re 2-0 [in district] going into Christmas.”
Rudder’s Asani McGee broke up a slow start and got the crowd on its feet with four consecutive baskets to give the Lady Rangers a 12-4 lead with almost three minutes left in the first quarter. Waller (16-1, 1-1) went 3 for 8 on free throws but quickly made up for it by pressing inside the paint to get within four of Rudder.
The Lady Rangers only allowed three Lady Bulldog baskets in the second quarter. Rudder went on a 5-0 run early with four points coming from free throws before going on a 6-0 run to build a 32-19 halftime lead.
Rudder’s biggest obstacle came from Waller’s point guard Laila Blair, who had 18 points. Shelton said Blair forced Rudder to change its defensive approach halfway through the game.
“We wanted to keep pressing, but I thought [Blair] would be able to score if we pressed them the whole time, so we decided to back off and have her beat us from the outside,” Shelton said. “She hit a couple, but overall I thought it went great.”
Waller had a surge in the third quarter, taking advantage of Rudder fouls and finding success from the 3-point line. D’Asia Thomas hit a basket and 3-pointer, and Kailyn Peters added three more points for the Lady Bulldogs with a free throw and a layup, but the Lady Rangers quickly answered with a 9-0 run to close out the third quarter leading 49-32.
In the fourth, Blair closed the gap with a layup to get Waller within 54-44 with less than two minutes left. But Mathis and Young each made one more basket to help ice the victory.
Rudder will compete in the Aggieland Invitational starting against Kingwood at 10 a.m. Thursday at The Armory. Shelton said the big holiday tournament held throughout Bryan-College Station is a good chance to get his substitutes more playing time.
“I’m going to get a lot of players, some bench players, a lot of playing time,” Shelton said. “I don’t think we’ll lose much of our conditioning, but we’re going to sub a little faster in the tournament. We won’t play people as long as we’ve been playing them.”
Rudder 58, Waller 49
WALLER (16-1, 1-1) — Laila Blair 18, D’Asia Thomas 9, Kailyn Peters 4.
RUDDER (16-1, 2-0) — D... Click here to read full article
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