The players for the Bryant White and Bryant Blue Lady Hornets eighth-grade teams played against each other for the first time as classmates. With both teams now contained in Bryant Junior High, it was a little different than in past years.
“It was a different kind of game for us,” acknowledged Ben Perry, coach of the White team. “We have been practicing in the same gym and seeing each other every day for the past four months. The girls see each other in class and talk about their basketball games in the hallways.”
Though both teams started out slowly, the White Lady Hornets found their groove in the second quarter and rolled to a 38-23 victory.
Brilynn Findley continued her scoring spree for Bryant White. Coming off a 30-piont performance last week, Findley scored 22 against Blue.
Jadyn Miller paced Blue with 12 points. Mackenzie Matson had 8 and Alyson White 5.
For White, Nia Swann and Rihanna Ware finished with 3 apiece. Emeril Jones, Kristen Reese, Madison Williams, Arion Pegram and A’Niyah Livingston scored 2 each.
Bryant Blue took the early lead then White hit a pair of free throws and a basket to make it 4-2 after a quarter.
“After the first quarter, I tried my best to wake the girls up by applying pressure and getting them energized about the game,” Perry related. “We did not shoot well in the first quarter nad we allowed to many shots from the outside when we were on defense.”
The second-quarter surge began about midway through the period.
“We came alive and made a run,” Perry acknowledged. “In the locker room, I tried to fire them up saying let’s get some energy on the bench and on the court.”
Regarding the second half, Perry related, “We came out aggressive and we were able to start getting more steals and turnovers. Halfway through the third, I was able to start clearing the bench.”
That came after the White team built a lead of as much as 25.
“We allowed them to come back on us in the fourth, but it was good for the kids to play and learn against a good Bryant Blue team,” said Perry. “The Bryant Blue team has progressed much since last year and they are working extremely hard.
“If they had sunk a few more of the 15 3’s they shot then the score would be much closer,” he said. “We were able to create 16 steals with 15 deflections. We won the turnover by creating 22 turnovers but made too many for us with 18. We finally won the rebound margin by 1 with 26 to 25 rebounds. Alyson White of the Blue team was very dominate underneath.
“We were able to get a win, but we have much to work on with our press and half-court defense,” said Perry. “We also must shoot better than we did. We will work hard to get ready for a good Conway White team on Thursday.”
White, now 3-1, will be at Conway while Blue takes off for the holidays. Its next action will be Jan. 6, 2020, at home against Benton.
