Strong rolls past Alpena 61-43

News-Times Staff MOUNT IDA - Strong got off to a slow start but finished fast behind the play of freshman Dynasty Davis, who led the Lady Bulldogs to a 61-43 win over Alpena in the 1A State Basketball Tournament. Strong improved to 17-10 and returns to action Thursday at 7 p.m. against the winner of today’s game pitting Mt. Vernon-Enola and Izard County.

Davis led the Lady Bulldogs with 29 points. Amaya Smith added 14 and Ladasia Williams scored 11 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Abby Dean led Alpena with 12. The Lady Leopards opened up a 16-9 lead in the first quarter.

“My defensive strategy didn’t work,” said Strong coach Jason Porter. “I went out in a box-and-one on that one girl. They started running their man offense and were just setting pick after pick for her. We weren’t really switching out. I went back to our match-up 1-3-1 and they struggled with it.”

The Lady Leopards were held to six points in the second quarter and nine points in the third quarter. Strong turned a 16-9 deficit into a 36-31 lead going into the fourth. Porter credited an increase in the defensive intensity, led by Smith, Kiki Shelton and Lakeisha Hill in the second and third quarters.

“We ended the game on a 17-0 run,” said Porter. “They tried to press us in the first and second quarter. They didn’t really turn us over. In that second and third quarter, we switched to a 2-1-2 full court press. It really bothered them big time. Then in the fourth quarter, we started getting up and down the floor. Our athleticism took over and Dynasty took over. They couldn’t catch up with her.”

Davis scored 15 points in the fourth quarter and hit 9-of-9 at the free throw line down the stretch.

“She stepped up big time at the end of the game,” Porter said. “We’ve struggled all year with free throws. We’ve got somebody now, when they have to start fouling, she drilled every one of them.”

The Lady Bulldogs advanced to the quarterfinals. Porter believes his group can now settle into the tournament, relax and

play freely.

“The first quarter, the seniors came out and they were tight. We had some turnovers that were unforced,” he said.

“After the first quarter, me and the assistant coach got ‘em over there and we chewed ‘em out. They settled down after that. After we got back to our 1-3-1 and we were pressing, they got back to what we usually do.”