Livingston girls basketball was able to pull off a win at home Friday in Lion Gym despite scoring only four points in the first half. A game decided in overtime, the Lady Lions secured a 34-30 victory over Tarkington in the opening district contest of 19-4A.
A scoreless game over the first four minutes, the Lady Lions got their first points with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter. Their second basket of the game came with about the same amount of time left on the second-quarter clock.
Fortunately for the home team, Tarkington did not do much to separate themselves. At the half, a 10-4 score was the result of turnovers and poor shot selection on both sides.
“At halftime, everybody was just looking for somebody else to do their job, and we all had to take accountability and step up,” Livingston coach Edward Hawkins said. “I really challenged the returning varsity players to play like a team. In the first half, I think we had a little selfishness in the team, which kind of dictated some shots and some looks that we had.”
Playing with much more energy in the second half, the Lady Lions took a 13-12 lead with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Yet, a three-pointer at the buzzer put Tarkington ahead 16-14 with the final period to play.
With three seconds left in the game and Livingston holding a 26-23 lead, a foul was called on a 3-point attempt, sending Tarkington to the line. Making just one of the first two, an offensive rebound under the hoop on the final attempt was put back in as regulation expired.
“Watching film, they brought everything I saw,” Hawkins said of the opponent. “They have heart; they are going to work from horn to horn. They were prepared. Even as bad as we played, we kept the game at a winnable distance. It takes a lot to be able to fight back.”
The Lady Horns had chances in overtime. A shot behind the arc was blocked with a two-point difference and just 20 seconds left. Soon after, Livingston got a fast-break layup from Nariya Johnson off an inbounds pass to seal it.
Even with the extra period, the game Friday was low scoring, with both teams shooting poorly from the field. Livingston was just 22%, while the Lady Horns weren’t much better at 29%. It was the same story at the free-throw line, where both teams made below 50%. Livingston did outrebound Tarkington 48-26, giving them additional opportunities. Turnovers for both teams were also an issue, as Livingston surrendered the basketball 29 times to Tarkington’s 33.
Johnson and Regan Lewis led the Lady Lions with eight points each, while Taleah Garner scored six and Taylor Wright five. Lewis also had 17 rebounds, four assists and five steals.
The coach said his team has gotten off to slow starts at home this season.
“There is no such thing as a bad win, because it is tough to get wins in this district. Tarkington just showed that it’s going to be tough to get wins in district. I respect them and they played a heck of a game. Their coaches really had them worked up. The adversity that we dealt with, I can’t simulate that in practice. It’s just a learning moment for us to continue to build.”
Livingston had suffered a couple of close losses before starting 1-0 in district play Friday night.
“I gave them kudos in there, because we haven’t been able to pull off these close games. We showed today in the second half that we were able to listen to those little things. A lot of times there are external things that they can’t control. So, getting them to focus on what we’re trying to do, they did a great job of that. I’m proud of them.”
