Big Sandy girls basketball never trailed Friday night. A dominant first half provided more than needed in a 74-18 victory over Sabine Pass.
The Dallardsville girls raced out to a 16-3 lead after eight minutes of play. Big Sandy scored the first 10 points of the contest. The Lady Sharks had no answer for post Yaheira Battise, who scored all but two of the Lady Cats’ first-quarter total. Lauren Boyd was responsible for the other field goal.
“Defensively, I thought we came out kind of flat early in the game,” Big Sandy coach Ryan Alec said. “We missed a few block outs and a few rebounds. We talked about that before we went on the floor – about how important it is to get off to an early start.
“In my experience, when teams come out flat, it is a lot harder to recover from that. We talked about having a lot of intensity at the beginning of the game and our effort. We can always bring effort every single night.”
You would have to excuse Sabine Pass if they disagreed with Alec on his team’s defensive effort in the first half. The first quarter 3-pointer would be the only shot Sabine Pass would connect on in the half, as Big Sandy cruised to a 42-3 advantage. The Lady Sharks continued to have troubles both handling and shooting the basketball.
Paige Cox, Shanaya Poncho, Macelynn Clark and Amberlee Smith joined Battise in the point column. The 26-point quarter gave no doubt to the game’s outcome.
The home team kept the pressure on in the third quarter, adding another 21. The fourth quarter allowed the Lady Cat bench to empty.
Battise led all scores with 29 points, Poncho had 15 points and Cox added 13. Nine Lady Cats hit a shot from the field Friday.
“In the second half, I thought we did a better job of picking it up defensively. We did a little bit better of a job rebounding the basketball.”
The Lady Cats now holds a 1-0 record in district play and they are 14-6 overall. A trip to Deweyville is up next on the schedule.
“In my opinion, I think everybody in this district is pretty even,” Alec said of future opponents. “I don't think there is a team that just stands out amongst anybody. I think it is going to be whoever comes out and just plays the best every night.”
