Girls basketball buries Sandy, 73-48

Published Jan. 29, 2024

Cub Reporter

Leaderson Kariuki

With effective defense and contesting of the ball, the DDHS girls basketball team defeated Sandy High School 73-48, at home, on January 9th.

Sandy started off by scoring a layup that put them in the lead for the first time in the game. But their joy was short-lived as senior 5’ 7” forward Avery Kimball tied the score after scoring a layup. Junior 5’ 5” guard Heidi Chang then scored the first three pointer of the game putting the Scots in the lead, 5-2.  With 58 seconds left in the first period, junior 5’ 6” guard Nara Cordway shot a free throw and scored following a foul while driving for a layup. Thirty-six seconds after this, she sank a contested three pointer, placing the Scots back in the lead with a score of 16-14 marking the end of the first period.

The second period commenced with a 15 foot jumper by junior 5’ 2” guard Brasil Campbell, extending the Scots lead to 18-14. This was followed by a fast break then a layup by senior 5’ 4” guard Tiffany Chui and another layup by senior 5’ 1” point guard Sydney Kimpton. Cordway then managed to bank a three pointer and steal the ball back for an easy layup single-handedly extending the Scots lead. The free throw by senior 5’ 1” point guard Ella Botnar marked the end of the Scots’ 11-0 run with a score of 31-16. Junior 5 '7” point guard Saleemah Shabazz was able to pull off an ankle breaker by hitting a spin on her opponent then laying it up for an easy two points. The period ended with Sandy scoring a buzzer beater from close to the halfway line.

The third period turned out to be the most offensively productive period of the game. It started off with Kimball intercepting a key pass and driving to the hoop for a layup that increased the Scots’ lead to 37-28. Three minutes into the third period, Kimball picked up another loose ball and through a fast break, she was able to lay it up yet again to increase the lead to 42-30. Kimpton also had her moment as right after Kimball’s display of talent, she scored a layup and a 10 ft jumper that marked the end of the Scots’ 11-2 run with a score of 48-30 in favor of the Scots. There was then a 3 minute drought that was followed by two cold three pointers by Campell and Cordway respectively that marked the end of the third period leaving the score at 55-37.

The fourth period was one filled with a bunch of layups as the Sandy defense seemed to slack off either because of tiredness or discouragement by the state of affairs. This however did not stop the coach from turning down the heat on her players. She could be seen yelling plays and instructions to her team who seemed to very well understand every bit of what she was saying. Aside from all the free throws and layups, Cordway pulled off another successful three pointer that gave the Scots a lead of 23 points, 69-44. The game ultimately ended at 73-48 in favor of the much delighted Scots.

“Our explosive defense dominated the court,” said coach Marshall in a post-game interview, “ giving us the opportunity to create offensive chances that turned the game in our favor.”