Mustangs destined for win
Jackson’s second straight double double powers Meade’s rout of Eagles
Meade’s Destiny Jackson was a little bothered by the fact she didn’t score in the second half of Friday’s game with Northeast.
Her production in the first half, combined with a balanced scoring effort where five Mustangs scored at least eight points was plenty for Meade to defeat Northeast, 65-42.
Coming off a 20-point, 14-rebound performance in Tuesday’s win over Arundel, Jackson recorded her second straight double double with 13 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Though she didn’t score in the second half on Friday, she was active on the boards and was able to get others involved. The Mustangs led by 14 at the half and still managed to outscore the Eagles by nine points in the second half with several other players contributing.
“It does bother me that I couldn’t finish, but I was happy to help in other aspects for my teammates,” Jackson said. “To me, it’s not all about scoring.”
Alexxis Sewell came off the bench and also scored 13 points for the Mustangs, including eight points in the second half. She added three assists and four steals.
Symphonie Bryant-Brown (five steals), Briel Owens (five steals) and Angelois Duncan each added eight points and combined for 16 second-half points for the Mustangs, who received 27 points from their bench.
“We’ve been able to go really deep this year,” Meade coach Aanika O’Connor said. “The girls know when they go in they have to keep the level of intensity up.”
Meade’s victory on Friday avenged a 60-48 loss to the Eagles on Dec. 7. Northeast’s Divine Carter-Benson scored 18 points that night, but missed Friday’s game. Ryleigh Nalley scored 13 points on Friday to lead the Eagles, who have already won eight games after winning just four last year.
“This was just one of those nights where we just couldn’t get it going,” Northeast coach Ed Nalley said. “We’re working through it. I’ve been preaching all year that it’s not just one person.”
Allyson Wills added 11 points for Northeast, which fell into a 15-3 hole early, but battled back and was down by just six midway through the second quarter.
“The whole attitude on the team has changed,” Ed Nalley said. “All the girls are playing hard. They come to practice and they want to get better.”
Jackson helped Meade (8-5) get off to a good start with six points in the opening quarter. Four of her first-quarter points came off offensive rebounds, while the other two came on a drive to the basket. She added seven points in the second, including another two off a rebound that answered Northeast’s run that cut the lead to six. She capped her scoring with a three-point play in the final minutes of the quarter and helped the Mustangs go into halftime up by 14.
“The first time we played them, we weren’t playing together,” Jackson said. “We weren’t really finishing and doing the basic fundamentals, but this time played together as a team to win.”
The Mustangs didn’t score in the second half until the 5:30 mark of the third quarter, but Northeast (8-6) only scored four points to pull within 10. The Mustangs went on a 6-0 run that pushed the lead to 16 and didn’t let the Eagles get closer than 14 the rest of the way.
“We’re getting to know each other,” O’Connor said. “It’s one of those things where we just have to get into a rhythm, and I think we’re starting to do that.”