Lady Warriors dominate Best of Preps field
LFO goes 3-0 by over 40 points a game
This time 12 months ago, the LFO Lady Warriors were mired in a losing streak that would ultimately encompass the entire 2020-21 season.
However, that all seems like ancient history these days.
The resurgent Lady Warriors, ranked No. 2 in Class AAA in the latest Atlanta Journal-Constitution state poll, completed a dominant three-game run in the Best of Preps Tournament last Wednesday night in which they averaged over 84 points a game and won by an average of more than 41 points.
LFO head coach Dewayne Watkins said the program’s first BoP tournament title “meant a lot” after participating in the event several times over the last few seasons, and that it was especially rewarding after what the Lady Warriors endured last season.
“Last year, we just stayed the course, but nobody ever worried,” he explained. “We just understood that this year was coming and we knew we had a chance to be pretty good. Now, did we expect to be 13-0 right now and winning the Best of Preps? Maybe, maybe not, but we knew we’d be much better overall this season.”
LFO 90, SILVERDALE 42
The Lady Warriors showed absolutely no rust from a six-day layoff as they rolled in their tournament opener late last Monday morning at East Hamilton High School.
Up 21-17 at the end of the first quarter, LFO hit the switch and raced out to a 53-22 halftime lead before going up 82-34 after three quarters.
Angel Simmons had five of LFO’s 11 3-pointers on the day and finished with a team-high 25 points, while Christen Collins went for 21. Christina Collins hit for 19 and Princess Simmons finished with 10.
Skye Alexander poured in four points and Gracie Cochran added three, while Ziara Thompson, Zoey GrayMartin, Kaile Ritchiez and Mylee Howard all scored two apiece.
LFO 73, EAST HAMILTON 39
Facing the host team in a semifinal game last Tuesday,
LFO zoomed out to a 31-6 lead after one quarter before taking a 47-20 cushion into the locker room.
It was another 3-point barrage for the Lady Warriors, who drained 11 more
3-pointers. Christen Collins and Princess Simmons led the way with four treys each as they finished with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Angel Simmons and Christina Collins shared team-high honors with 19 points apiece, while Cochran and GrayMartin both dropped in six to aid the cause.
LFO 84, MEIGS COUNTY 42
Taking on the Tennessee small school stalwart in front of a packed house at East Hamilton on Wednesday night, LFO used more airtight defense and deadly outside shooting to overwhelm the Lady Tigers.
LFO’s constant swarming defensive pressure resulted in numerous steals and turnovers, while the Red-and-White simply lit up Hurricane Gymnasium on the offensive end once again.
The Lady Warriors made 14 two-point baskets, but connected on 15 shots from behind the arc, drawing increasingly louder ooh’s and aah’s from the crowd after each successive one.
The biggest reaction came just before the halftime horn as Princess Simmons did her best Steph Curry impression with a 35-footer with four seconds left on the clock that found nothing but the bottom of the net and gave LFO a very comfortable 51-25 lead at intermission.
It was the longest of the 37 threes that the Lady Warriors made during the tournament.
Angel Simmons, later named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, had four 3-pointers and finished with 28 points, while Christen Collins knocked down six treys and finished with 27 points to join her on the All-Tournament Team. Christina Collins and Princess Simmons scored 10 and nine points, respectively, and also earned All-Tournament recognition.
Cochran added four points in the victory. Christina Gass finished with three, followed by Gray-Martin with two and Piper Piatt with one.
“Defensively, we had to tweak a couple of things from early on (in the season),” Watkins said. “Now they are understanding and can make the adjustments on the floor without me having to do it from the sidelines, so that’s a big plus. There’s a couple of other things we’re looking at doing with this group, but what we’re doing right now is working pretty good.
“We just want to keep it rolling as we get back to region play because we have goals of winning a region championship and doing things beyond that.”