Basketball is a game of runs, and the Lady Chicks utilized two big ones to come away with a first-round win on the road.
Chickasha girls basketball beat Sulphur 47-21 Thursday in the first round of the Charles K. Heatly Classic at Lindsay High School’s Leopard Arena.
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After a two-point first quarter that featured two free throws and zero made field goals, something had to change for the Lady Chicks, and Chickasha coach Jace Johnson opted for a reset, pulling all five starters in the first five minutes of play.
Heading into the second quarter, down 7-2, the starters took the floor, and they weren’t going to let the fresh start go to waste.
“They came back in, and they executed a lot better,” Johnson said. “We just had an off-night shooting as well. Came out, didn’t execute very well, didn’t shoot it very well and they needed a reset. We’re a deep team, so we let those other girls have a shot, and truly, when they came in, they followed suit.”
Point guard Maycee Hill knocked down Chickasha’s first field goal of the game within the first minute of the quarter and sparked a dominant second-quarter run that propelled the Chicks the rest of the way.
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A 12-0 run gave the Lady Chicks their first lead of the game, and they didn’t stop there. Chickasha’s defense played lights out all game, holding Sulphur under double-digits in all four quarters, including a two-point second quarter, but the Chicks’ offense started seeing baskets fall.
Chickasha outscored Sulphur 23-2 in the second quarter, but found itself in an offensive lull in the third. However, the Lady Chicks had one last run that put the game out of reach in the final frame.
Shooting guard Mea Ginn was the catalyst in the fourth quarter, scoring the first seven points of a 13-2 run. Chickasha finished with 17 fourth-quarter points, combining for 40 of its 47 points in the second and fourth quarters.
Ginn led the Lady Chicks with 12 points, shooting guard Brynlie Alexander finished second with seven points and Hill finished with six points and a team-high four steals.
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Coming off a win over Bridge Creek, where Chickasha didn’t play up to its fullest potential, a matchup against a winless Sulphur team was the perfect opportunity to get back on track. However, despite coming away with the win, the Lady Chicks fell short of their best.
“That’s two games in a row that we just haven’t played very well. We honestly had a really good practice yesterday and thought we had some things figured out, but then we came out cold,” Johnson said. “When you play early during the day in a tournament and it’s kind of quiet, that can affect you. But, they’ll get it figured out. I think we got this one under our belt, and we’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”
Next, Chickasha will face the winner of Pauls Valley and Plainview in the second round of the Charles K. Heatly Classic on Jan. 9 with an opportunity to punch its ticket to the championship game.
