By KENNETH IRVING
Student Reporter
The 16-3 (8-3) Lady Rangers defeated the 5-10 (1-10) East Central Tigers 66-55 on Saturday.
Payton Jones and Faith Simpson both had 17 points and 5 rebounds. Camille Thomas had 14 points and 7 rebounds. Carly Craig had 11 points.
After uncharacteristically losing back-to-back games, the Lady Rangers finally got back in the win column Thursday. They were back in action at home, Saturday and they did not disappoint.
Junior guard Payton Jones kicked the game off with a 3-pointer, forcasting what was to come. She scored 17 points and shot 100% from the field for the Lady Rangers.
The Lady Rangers were attempting to take off with this game, but the Lady Tigers did not let that happen easily. For every 3-pointer the Lady Rangers shot, the Lady Tigers retaliated with their own.
Junior guard Carly Craig had eight first-quarter points as she tied the game with her own 3- pointer.
The 3-pointers continued to rain down from both teams at the begining of the second quarter as freshman guard Summya Adigun buried one from deep.
The Lady Tigers tried to suffocate the Lady Rangers with the 3-point shot as they held a 24-20 lead with 4:24 remaining in the second quarter.
The Lady Rangers remained firm and began to feed the ball into the paint. Junior forward Camille Thomas sank 2 free throws to get the Rangers within two points.
Carly Craig came off the bench and immediately made an impact by knocking down a 3-pointer in the corner of the court, forcing the Lady Tigers to call timeout.
Senior forward Nikya Orange gave the Lady Rangers the lead with a mid-range jump shot. They ended the half on a 9-0 run with the score 31-26
Payton Jones started the half just how she started the game — on fire from the field. She extended the Lady Rangers lead with a 3-pointer.
Craig dashed down the court with a flashy behind-the-back assist from Jones, and the Lady Rangers are up by 12.
The Lady Tigers finally stopped the bleeding with a layup, but the Lady Rangers were on a 16-0 run at this point in the third quarter.
Despite the Lady Rangers being ahead, turnovers and foul calls led to the Lady Tigers rallying to within one point with 6:37 left to play in the game.
Senior Forward Faith Simpson went on to impose her dominance in the paint, which has earned her honors all season.
She made back-to-back buckets in the paint and her free throws cemented the Lady Rangers’ win 66-55.
