TIP OFF CLASSIC GIRLS: Dougherty, Monroe open with victories

ALBANY — From the very beginning, the second girls’ game in the Dougherty County Tip Off Classic featuring the Lady Trojans of Dougherty and the Lady Patriots of Westover seemed destined to go down to the wire.

Whether it was due to both teams being rusty in their season openers or evidence that the teams were evenly matched remains to be seen.

But Dougherty outslugged the Lady Patriots 45-40 at Darton State College’s Cavalier Arena.

The two squads were deadlocked for the entire first half and remained so after three quarters. One point separated the two at the break.

Neither team could establish a significant lead as the largest lead either team held in the first half was just four points. Somehow, the Lady Trojans managed to stretch their lead to six points with just over five minutes in regulation. Westover’s Sh’Myia Jones quickly responded with a 3-pointer to cut the lead in half.

Due to turnovers and missed free throws, Westover’s chances seemed to be fading away. After Dougherty’s Shy’Keria Williams drilled a mid-range jumper to put the Lady Trojans back up six, Chastity Pickett’s 3-point attempt caroomed off the glass and into the net, offering Westover one last glimmer of hope.

However, Williams drove to the hoop on the next possession and extended Dougherty’s lead for good.

“It was overall a great team effort,” said Dougherty head coach Khadijah Ali. “I think the upperclassmen on the team really stepped up, from the ones that started to the ones that came off the bench and hit a couple of threes for us.”

Williams led the Trojans with 10 points and seven rebounds, indicative of an overall team effort from the home team. Jasmine Jenkins and Chastity Pickett added 17 and 12 points respectively for the Lady Patriots.

“Shy’Keria Williams took the ball to the basket, she got more aggressive in the fourth and found her shots,” Ali said. “Everybody played their role. The freshman played big. It was their first game, so they had a lot of nervous energy, but they were big on the wing and inside the post.”

The Lady Trojans travel to Bainbridge to face the Lady Bearcats on November 25th, while the Lady Patriots will take on the Squaws of Albany High on November 29th.

Monroe girls 59, Dougherty 15

In the first game of the, the Lady Tornadoes of Monroe dispatched the Albany High Squaws.

Thanks to an all-around effort from junior forward Kelsey Davis, the visiting Lady Tornadoes jumped out to a 26-point halftime lead and never looked back. Davis filled up the stat sheet in the first half, notching eight points, five rebounds, and five steals. She finished with 16 points and grabbed two more rebounds in the rout.

Junior guard Alissa Jones added 14 points, while sophomore Nyeshia Jackson added 10 points.

The Tornadoes will travel to Bainbridge on Tuesday to face the Lady Bearcats, while Albany High plays host to Westover on November 29th.