Big runs help LFO run away from Ringgold

For the final 25 minutes of Friday’s game, No. 10-ranked Ringgold stayed within one point of No. 3-ranked LFO.

However, it was the first seven minutes of the game where the Lady Warriors showed just exactly why they are enjoying such a lofty ranking.

A 19-0 run to start the game struck a major blow to the Lady Tigers’ upset hopes and LFO would go on to a 5943 win in a key Region 6-AAA battle in Ringgold.

LFO connected on just five 3-pointers in the game, but two of them came in the opening two minutes as Christen Collins and Christina Collins hit back-to-back shots from behind the arc to give the visitors a quick 6-0 lead.

Turnovers and missed shots would plague both teams over the next four minutes as a pair of free throws by each of the Collins sisters accounted for the only four points of the game over that span.

But with less than two minutes to play, Christina nailed another trey and two LFO steals led to fast-break lay-ups by Christen, while one final basket with just under a minute to go in the quarter capped the huge run.

Ringgold, to its credit, refused to roll over. They scored the final four points of the opening period and seven of the first nine points of the second period to cut LFO’s lead down to 10 points with 6:15 left before halftime.

After four quick points by the Lady Warriors, the Lady Tigers clicked off an 8-0 run to trim the deficit down to 2519 with 1:25 left before halftime. Addi Broome scored five of the eight points, including a 3-pointer.

However, just when it looked as if Ringgold would take the momentum into the locker room, LFO struck back quickly. Christina hit a jumper and Christen added two baskets in the final 15 seconds to up the Lady Warriors’ advantage to 32-19 at intermission.

LFO extended its lead to 17 on a bucket by Angel Simmons with 1:48 left in the third, but Ringgold would get

3-pointers from Allie Massengale and Rachel Lopez in the final 1:37 and the Lady Tigers went into the fourth quarter still within striking distance at 47-36.

Lopez opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to cut the gap down to eight with 6:49 left on the clock. However, it turned out be the final points for the home team until just 41 seconds remained in the game as LFO turned up the defensive pressure once again.

That 6:08 span was enough time for the Lady Warriors to reel off a 10-0 run. Simmons accounted for half of those points as the Red-and-White put the game out of reach.

LFO (18-1, 10-0) got 19 points from Christen and 13 from Christina, while Simmons finished with 15. Princess Simmons and Skye Alexander each had four points, while Gracie Cochran added with two.

Ringgold ( 14- 5, 8- 3) got 19 points, four steals and four assists from Lopez. Broome scored nine points and grabbed three rebounds, and Kayla Lopez had six points, four assists

and two boards.

Taylor Layne finished with four points, three rebounds and one steal. Massengale had five assists and a steal to go with her three points, while Leiah Henderson had two points. The Lady Tigers were also without Baileigh Pitts, who had scored over 20 points in each of Ringgold’s last two games.

LFO BOYS 67, RINGGOLD 48

The Tigers erased an early 5-2 deficit in the nightcap with an 11-0 run that included two 3-pointers by O’Reilly Matthews and another by Jordan Wideman.

But No. 9-ranked LFO responded with a 9-0 run of its own before the firstquarter buzzer sounded. Amari Burnett scored four points, Jamichael Davis had a 3-pointer and Brent Bowman added two as the Warriors stormed back to take a 14-13 lead after the first period.

The second quarter saw two ties and six lead changes with neither team enjoying more than a four-point advantage. Davis was able to make a twisting move in the lane on an offensive putback with three seconds left on the clock to give the Warriors a narrow 29-27 lead at

halftime.

But things quickly changed once the second half began.

Two quick buckets by Bowman in the first 90 seconds jump-started what became an 18-2 run over the first five minutes of the third quarter. Bowman had eight points in the run, Davis added four and Burnett knocked down two big 3-pointers as LFO stretched it out to a 47-29 cushion with less than three minutes to go in the period.

Ringgold tried to hang on, but never got closer than 13 points the rest of the way as the Warriors put the game away with a final 9-3 run over the final 2:52.

Bowman scored a gamehigh 22 points, while Burnett and Davis had 17 and 16 points, respectively. Keenan Walker added seven, followed by Jamillion Womble with three and Jackson Flanagan with two as LFO improved to 16-1 overall in 9-1 in region play.

Senior guard Alex Otting had a team-high 16 points for Ringgold (5-14, 1-10). Wideman finished with nine points and Matthews had eight, while the rest of the scoring included seven from Caden Dodson, five from Cooper Sexton and three from Brevin Massengale.