Lady Phoenix Take 4th straight at Model
Contributing source
After a tough first three quarters on Wednesday, the Model Lady Devils put together a gritty run in the fourth to get back in the game, but ultimately it was Sonoraville who made the plays in the closing minutes to earn a 42-34 victory at Woodard Gymnasium.
Model (10-3) had some struggles offensively for much of Wednesday’s contest, which was the team’s first game since Dec. 19, but some of that can be attributed to Sonoraville’s defensive intensity and pressure. The Lady Devils were held to just three points in the first quarter while Sonoraville (4-11) built a 17-3 lead.
The second quarter was a defensive battle both ways as neither team scored until late in the period as Model got the deficit back within single digits at 20-11 at the half.
The Lady Phoenix maintained the lead in the third thanks to three makes from beyond the arc along with another lay-up and a free throw while Model was able to manufacture some points in different ways to stay within nine at 32-23 going to the fourth.
It appeared Sonoraville was going to pull away easily early in the final quarter as its lead swelled to 13 points, but Model put together its best run of the game when it needed it most, scoring the next nine points unanswered to get within four at 36-32 with 1:30 to play. The Lady Phoenix showed some moxie down the stretch, however, getting several consecutive defensive stops and making 6-of-6 free throws in the last minute to put the solid road victory away for good.
“You know when you’re on someone else’s court that they are going to make a run eventually. We lost our composure for a minute or two, and (Model) kept fighting to get back in the game,” said Sonoraville head coach Stephanie Caudell. “But I’m proud of the kids and the way they were able to put it away at the end. We were able to make some plays and win it at the free throw line. There were some games earlier in the year where that wasn’t the case so we have shown some growth there.”
Sonoraville was led by Ella Kate Walraven with 12 points, including a 5-for6 mark at the free throw line. Erin Garland was also in double figures with 12 points, and Brynley Walraven scored nine, including a pair of third-quarter 3s. Sophie Townsend also had six points.
No Model scorer reached double figures as it was a rough shooting night for the home team coming off the layoff and going against a defensively-minded Sonoraville squad. Javia Samples led the Lady Devils with eight points while Eva Poyner scored seven as all of hers came in the second half.
Model will be on the road again on Friday to visit Temple at 6 p.m. for another non-region contest.
Sonoraville, which has now won four straight after an 0-11 start to the season, will open Region 7-AAAA play on Friday when it hosts Southeast Whitfield at 7 p.m.
“I think defensively we’ve started to figure things out the last couple weeks,” said Caudell. “We’ve figured out a rotation that works and our kids are really finding their roles and what we need out of each of them. They are embracing that. It took a while, but we are playing pretty well going into our region schedule which is what you want to see.”