Tuesday night found the Shepherd Lady Pirates facing the Huffman Lady Falcons, a team that entered the gym expecting to walk away with a district victory. The Lady Pirates, however, had very different plans.
Huffman came out strong and set the early tempo, edging Shepherd by just two points at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Pirates settled in during the second frame, tightening up defensively and trimming the deficit to a single point at halftime, 13-12. From there, momentum began to shift.
Shepherd’s patience and teamwork paid off in the third quarter as the Lady Pirates worked their offense against the Falcon defense and surged ahead. By the end of the period, Shepherd had claimed a three-point lead, 26-23, and the confidence on the court was unmistakable.
Sensing the shift, Huffman called several early timeouts in the fourth quarter in an effort to slow the Pirate run. It was too late. Shepherd stayed composed, played smart basketball, and closed out the game with poise, securing a hard-fought 35-28 district victory over a talented Huffman squad.
After the game, Coach Eldridge McAdams summed it up best: “Any time you can get a district win, it’s a great win.”
Senior guard Kiona King echoed that sentiment, adding, “We played our best tonight, and it was a total team effort.”
Jazz Richardson posted 14 points and was 3-for-5 at the foul line, along with Aliyah Thomas who had 8 points and was 1-for-4 at the line. Dakiyah Clark posted 7 points and went 2-for-4 at the line.
•The Lady Pirates faced a difficult road test on Friday night as they traveled to Livingston to take on the Lady Lions in front of a packed home crowd. Despite a determined effort from opening tip to the final buzzer, the Lady Pirates were unable to overcome the pressure of the Livingston squad, falling 44-31.
The game remained competitive throughout the night, with Shepherd refusing to back down. Livingston held narrow leads in each quarter, using steady scoring and crowd energy to maintain control. At halftime, the Lady Lions held a 25-15 advantage, but the Lady Pirates came out of the break with renewed focus and intensity.
Coach Eldridge McAdams made adjustments at halftime in an effort to shift momentum, and Shepherd responded with strong defensive play in the third quarter, matching Livingston point for point. However, the Lady Lions capitalized on timely baskets and key possessions to keep Shepherd from mounting a full comeback.
Aliyah Thomas led Shepherd with an outstanding performance, scoring 15 points and going 4-for-6 at the free-throw line. Kiona King added 7 points, while Kaci Roberts contributed 5 points in a solid team effort.
On Jan. 13, the Lady Trojans downed Onalaska 52-30, and on Friday, fell to Anderson-Shiro 44-36.
