Lady Eagles upend 1st-place Lady Bulldogs
Published 8:33 am Tuesday, January 16, 2018
- Prince Edward County High School junior point guard Da’Mya Harris analyzes the opportunities to attack Goochland High School’s defense Saturday evening during the Lady Eagles’ 45-36 victory. She led her team with 23 points (photo by Titus Mohler).
Prince Edward County High School’s varsity girls basketball team established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the James River District (JRD) on Saturday evening when the Lady Eagles recorded a 45-36 home win over Goochland High School, which had previously been unbeaten in the district, holding first place.
Now both the Lady Bulldogs and the Lady Eagles have one JRD loss apiece. The Lady Eagles (11-3) suffered their first district defeat Jan. 10 when they narrowly lost 51-50 to host Buckingham County High School.
Prince Edward recovered to defeat host Cumberland County High School 46-27 on Friday before taking down the first-place Lady Bulldogs.
“They played really well,” Lady Eagles Head Coach Carlton Redd said, referring to his players’ performance Saturday night. “Honestly, we played just as well in the first half against Buckingham, but we played terrible in the second half against Buckingham. But this time, they didn’t fade in the second half, so they were able to hold onto the win. So, I was proud that they kept their composure. They played like a team, and we had some big plays at the end too. We made our free throws. You know — simple things.”
One of those simple things was taking care of the ball, as Prince Edward had only 11 turnovers in comparison to the 23 it committed against Buckingham.
With four minutes, 46 seconds remaining in the game Saturday, the score was tied 34-34. Then junior forward/center Shauneice Beasley hit a free throw, junior point guard Da’Mya Harris hit a three-pointer, then added a pair of free throws and sophomore forward/guard Ke’Mya Rux also hit a pair to give the Lady Eagles a 42-34 lead with 59.2 seconds to go.
Harris led Prince Edward with 23 points.
Redd noted he was pleased with Harris’ effort but added that it was part of a strong team effort overall.
“We can’t win just on Da’Mya’s back,” he said.
He highlighted the play of junior center Madison Lehman, who added 12 points.
Rux scored six, and Beasley had three.
Redd also praised the play of senior Ka’Deshia Wright, noting she is his best defensive player. She was key against the Lady Bulldogs’ significant height.
“They’re the biggest team in the district,” Redd said. “… Ka’Deshia, usually, she negates all of that.”
The Lady Eagles visited Bluestone High School on Tuesday and will host Randolph-Henry High School on Friday at 7 p.m.