The Midway girls basketball team was back in action for the second straight night on Wednesday, hosting Princeton. The Lady Bulldogs certainly put up more of a fight than there conference foe Lakewood did the night before, but the Lady Raiders still prevailed, 53-33.
The game didn’t get off to the quickest of starts as both teams exchanged free throws instead of baskets early on. Midway held a 3-0 lead off free throws from Alexis Jackson. Princeton made it 3-1 after going one-for-two from the line before finally notching the game’s first basket with 4:20 left to make it 3-3.
Just as they had against Lakewood, the Lady Raiders mounted an 8-0 run, sparked by a pair of baskets by Kris McKoy, and led 11-3 at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter was much more balanced that actually saw Princeton outscore Midway. The Lady Raiders managed to reach their highest advantage at 23-10 before the Lady Bulldogs hit a small run of their own to make it 26-19 by the end of the first half.
Princeton continued to cut into the deficit to start the second half, getting to within 26-20, before a J.J. Sankey “and-1” made it 29-20. But a Princeton free throw made basket made it 29-23.
The Lady Bulldogs continued to chip away at the deficit when Princeton converted a layup to make it 29-25.
Officiating throughout the third quarter began benefiting Princeton as the Lady Bulldogs were finding themselves at the line more so than the Lady Raiders were. Still, though, Princeton couldn’t convert their opportunities.
For that, Midway made them pay.
The Lady Raiders went on another spurt, this one a decisive one, going 14-3 to close the quarter for a 43-28 lead.
The fourth quarter was all Midway as well as the Lady Raiders built and maintained a 20-point advantage and went on to win their fourth straight, 53-33.
After the game, Midway head coach Allen McLamb credited Princeton for challenging his Lady Raiders.
“Princeton has good speed and was moving the ball well,” he said. “We had to adjust and go with a quicker lineup to counter what they were doing. Kris and JJ paired up nicely. Kris is young, still making some freshman mistakes, but she and all the team are getting better and we’ll come around.”
He also commended Alyssa Wrench, who despite some adversity still had a solid performance.
“Alyssa had a double-double and that was with battling some early foul trouble,” McLamb said. “At this point, we’re keying on individual improvements and everyone just overall getting better. We’re 4-0 and we’re happy.”
Another area of interest for this Midway team going forward will be some key injuries. McLamb mentioned three players that are battling some early season injuries so seeing how his team is able to adjust will be interesting.
Leading the way for the Lady Raiders, Wrench has 15 points with Sankey right behind her with 14. Kris McKoy had 11 points and Kayla Jackson had six.
Statistically, Wrench led the team in rebounds with 11 and Sankey had a team-high seven steals.
With the win, Midway is 4-0 and will travel to rematch with Lakewood tonight.
