Lady Mustangs improve to 4-0; defeat Whiteoak

DODSONVILLE — The Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs dominated the first half against conference and county rival Whiteoak on Thursday night, and their dominance led to a 74-30 victory.

Though LC began the game with a 3-pointer from Hannah Binkley within the first 40 seconds of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference matchup, they led by a 6-4 score with 4:53 still remaining in the first following another 3-pointer from Binkley, while WHS had points from Maggie Carr and Lexi Jones.

But from there, the Lady Mustangs used great defensive pressure, forced turnovers and scored points on fast breaks to lead 31-4 after the first quarter, going on a 25-0 run to end the first frame.

"Defensively, we played pretty well. We switched it up between a man and zone, and I was happy with how we did that," LC head coach Whitney Lewis said. "As far of holding them defensively, that's going to be our go-to thing. This was an improvement, and our shooting was improved, as we struggled some in our last game against Peebles.

"We played a little bit better and shot the ball better overall, so this was a good game for us."

That run of scoring included Ali Little, Peyton Scott, Madison Wills, McKayla Binkley and Hannah Binkley, as she totaled 15 of her game-high 23 points in the first frame, including three 3-pointers in the opening frame.

Little followed with 15 points for the game, while Scott added 14 points and McKayla Binkley scored eight points in the win.

LC came back by outscoring WHS, 13-8 in the second frame, with WHS breaking up the run of scoring with the first points of the second quarter with a basket from Ashleigh Harless. After the second quarter concluded, the Lady Mustangs led by a 44-12 score.

The Lady Mustangs held LC to 18 points in the second half, while they scored a total of 30 points in the quarter, including a 20-point third frame and 10 points in the fourth for the 44-point victory.

Also adding points for LC in the win were Emily Roush (2), Lexi Waits (5), Vanessa Thiel (3) and Wills (4). As a team, LC finished 11-of-18 from the free-throw line.

For WHS (1-3), Emma Wardlow led with nine points, with seven of her points coming in the fourth quarter. She was 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. Harless finished with eight points for the Lady 'Cats, and with six points was Morgan Thompson.

"We told the girls at halftime that we just have to forget the first half," WHS head coach Randy Abbott said. "They (LC) are a good ball club, and we have to do the right thing every trip. They just have so many tools and are well-coached.

"I was proud of our kids … after the game, one of the refs came over and said 'they are trying to execute your stuff, but the shots just aren't falling, and they were playing hard to the end.' I told the kids, that's who we have to be … we can't afford to quit, and have to play to the very end. I'm proud of their effort."

Also for WHS, Carr totaled five points, and Jones scored two points. The Lady 'Cats were 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.

This season, LC has outscored their opponents, 265-111, with the Lady Mustangs averaging 66.25 points per game, as they've scored 70 or more points in three of their first four games played.

In JV play, LC won by a 46-6 score. LC was led by Keyara Oaks with 18 points and Sam Kirby with 10. WHS was led by Chelsea Chisman with four points.

LC will play again on Monday when they host the Hillsboro Lady Indians in non-conference play. WHS also plays again on Monday, hosting the Fayetteville Lady Rockets in a SHAC matchup.