2 big runs propel Opp to 41-30 win
Published 12:28 am Friday, February 22, 2013
DOTHAN — Two big runs in the second half propelled Opp to a 41-30 victory over Daleville on Thursday night.
The Lady Bobcats played a tale of two halves against the Lady Warhawks in the Class 3A South Regional Tournament semifinals at the Dothan Civic Center.
OHS got off to a slow start in the first period, but led 8-4 after the first eight minutes.
The Lady Bobcats led 15-9 after a Savannah Gerber 3-pointer with 6:29 to go in the second period and went on to take an 18-12 lead at the break.
Daleville came out on first in the second half and went on to tie the game at 18-all for a brief time.
Gerber nailed another 3-pointer to fuel a 6-0 run in the third period. Opp then went on an 8-0 run and led 35-20 to pull away for good.
OHS coach SaRhonda Dickerson said her team’s token schemes won the game.
“Our defense and transition game and our girls have to get the credit for the win,” Dickerson said. “The first half was really sluggish for us. The girls didn’t come out playing really aggressive like we should’ve been. Normally, our defense creates our offense and that didn’t happen in the first half.
“During the second half, the girls regrouped,” she said. “They came out focused and hungry and wanted it, and that’s when they fought back and how we won it.”
With this victory, the Lady Bobcats (21-4) will face rival foe Straughn in the south regional championship game tomorrow at 3:40 p.m. Straughn has dominated in each of the teams’ prior meetings this year.
“We like playing Straughn,” Gerber said. “We’re excited about it.”
Gerber’s trey in the third period came at the right time during the game.
This was after Daleville answered on its offensive end to cut the game to 12-9.
It was a big shot, the senior said.
At the start of the second period, Daleville’s Payton Souders got a trey to cut the game to 8-7. Opp answered when leading-scorer Saquaya Lane got a rebound, was fouled and made two free throws.
Gerber found Lane on the offensive end and put the Lady Bobcats up 12-7.
“Even in the first half, she led for us,” Dickerson said about Gerber. “Savannah was the one carrying for us. She was the one on the boards.”
Gerber finished with eight points and four rebounds for OHS on the night.
The star from the start of the first period was Lane, who found herself fighting under the bucket for rebounds and possible putbacks.
Lane got a layup to start the scoring in the first period, and made two free throws late in the first to give her team the early lead.
Laiken Free began a 8-0 run for Opp in the fourth period and the Lady Bobcats went ahead 35-20 after leading 27-20 after the third period.
Later in the fourth, Asia Edwards attacked the net on the offensive end to give OHS a commanding and comfortable 37-22 lead.
Free got a jumper on transition and OHS led 41-24.
Lane scored 14 points and added eight rebounds. Nisha Stoudemire, who was quiet all night for OHS, chipped in 11 points and six rebounds. Free added six points.
Daleville’s Jazmin Cephus, Eternity Hayes and Kiara Blanks led the Lady Warhawks with five points each.