By John Clark
BLADENBORO – In the end free throw shooting proved to be the difference Friday night as Midway withstood a furious 4th quarter rally by making 8 of 11 foul shots to defeat West Bladen 56-49 in Southeastern Athletic Conference girls basketball action.
The Lady Raiders carried a 41-30 lead into the final frame, but the Lady Knights’ full-court defensive pressure began to take effect. Senior Lainey Autry stole the ball and raced for a lay-up, and senior Rylee Chadwick banged in a follow shot. Sophomore Alina Chavez and Chadwick made free throws to slice the Midway lead to 41-36 at the 5:43 mark.
Freshman Lindsey Royal’s lay-up interrupted the run, but Chadwick stole the ball and sprinted for another lay-up. However freshman Lizzy Kirkland’s 3-point shot padded the lead to 46-38. Chadwick sank 2 free throws to whittle the lead to 46-40 with 4:01 left.
Kirkland flipped in a runner, but Chadwick responded with a trio of free throws to whittle the lead to 49-43. Senior Jaycie Byrd pushed the Midway lead to 51-43 with 2 free throws, but West junior Kiera Lewis drove for a lay-up then stole the ball and dashed for another lay-up that pulled the Lady Knights to within 51-47.
After McKenzie Williams made 2 free throws for Midway, Chadwick muscled in an 8-footer through traffic to close the gap to 53-49 with 1:27 on the clock. The Lady Knights stole the ball and had a flurry of 3 shots that could have cut the lead to 2 points, but all of them missed and Williams canned 2 free throws as the visitors held on.
“We got down early, but we fought back, and we had some chances there at the end but the shots wouldn’t fall,” said Lady Knight Coach Brian McCleney. “You can’t fault the effort, the girls played really hard.”
West Bladen made 7 of 13 free throws in the final period, but missed opportunities in the 1st 3 quarters hurt the Lady Knights as they connected on only 15 of 35 free throw attempts. Midway was 13 for 17 at the foul line.
Chadwick poured in 21 points and seemed to be everywhere during the West closing run. Autry fired in a pair of 3-point shots and finished with 12 points while being very active in the Lady Knight press. Lewis dropped in those 2 lay-ups during the closing rally and totaled 6 points in the game.
Kirkland led Midway with 17 points, and senior Mallory Baggett followed with 12 points. Williams totaled 9 points, and Byrd tallied 9.
Sophomore Holland Davis nailed a 1st period 3-ball for the Lady Knights, and Chadwick and Autry threw in baskets. Junior Brookee Singletary and sophomore Alina Chavez added free throws, but 4 points each from Bagget and Byrd edged the visitors ahead 11-9.
Kirkland tallied 7 points in the 2nd period, and freshman Peyton Herring netted 4 as Midway built a 29-22 halftime lead. Chadwick pumped in 2 baskets and 3 free throws for West in the quarter. Autry cashed in 2 free throws, Chavez hit one and freshman Kali Allen nailed a 3-point shot.
A diving Chadwick shoveled a pass out to Autry who knocked down the 1st of her two 3-point baskets in the 3rd period. Autry’s 2nd 3-ball kept West within 35-28. Lewis drove for a lay-up in the final minute, but 2 baskets and 2 free throws by Baggett gave Midway a 41-30 lead.
The Lady Knights, now 1-5 in the league and 8-7 overall, will host Clinton Tuesday night. Midway, now 3-3 in the SAC-7 and 10-6 overall, will travel to East Bladen Tuesday night.
Midway 11 18 12 15 – 56
West Bladen 9 13 8 19 – 49
Midway (56) – Jaycie Byrd 8, Leah Culbreth 1, Lizzy Kirkland 17, McKenzie Williams 9, Kara Beth Benton, Mallory Baggett 12, Megan Jackson, Peyton Herring 4, Lindsey Royal 5.
West Bladen (49) – Lainey Autry 12, Holland Davis 3, Rylee Chadwick 21, Kirsten Warrick, Brookee Singletary 1, Kiera Lewis 6, Natalee Sykes, Kali Allen 3, Alina Chavez 3.
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