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Wes McCard

Sports Editor

The Upson-Lee Lady Knights faced two tough teams over the weekend, resulting in two tough losses. The Lady Bulldogs from Dutchtown and the Lady Bulldogs from Mary Persons, both of which were state playoff teams last season, combined to outscore the Lady Knights 109-61 over the weekend.

The Lady Knights played tough against the Lady Bulldogs from Dutchtown, but a rough second quarter, where they were outscored 20-8, led to a 64-36 loss. On Saturday night, the Lady Knights trailed the Lady Bulldogs of Mary Persons 16-2 at the end of the first quarter, and ultimately lost the game 55-25.

“We played two really good teams over the weekend,” said Lady Knights head coach Bart Phillips. “Dutchtown is a tough team who will contend for the top seed from the other side of the region, and Mary Persons was one of the better shooting and more physical teams we have seen this season. There has been a lack on intensity on our part from time to time over the past few games. We also are continuing to struggle from the free throw line. We work on free throws constantly during practice, but we just can’t seem to knock them down in the game situations. We are shooting nearly 30 free throws a game, but we not making nearly as many as we need to be. If we were shooting free throws better, we would be in many more ball games.”

The Lady Knights shot only 47 percent from the line against Dutchtown, making only 14 of 30 free throws attempted. Kiashona Carter paced the Lady Knights with 13 points in the game. Carter has reached double figures in the last four games, including a 21-point game at Taylor County last week. Carter made six of the Lady Knights’ 14 free throws in the game, going a perfect 6-6 at the line.

Brittney Acey added eight points in the loss. Quasha Hutcherson and Ekorea Gray scored four points, Kenya Harris and Keondra Ausbrooks tallied three points, whiele Ja’Leesa Gibson and Demeshia Russell each chipped in with two points in the loss.

On Saturday night, the Lady Knights faced off with the Lady Bulldogs from Mary Persons. The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a commanding 16-2 lead after one quarter, a margin which would be too large for the Lady Knights to overcome. The Lady Knights played better throughout the game, but again a 9 for 27 performance at the free throw line kept them from mounting any sort of run. The Lady Bulldogs outscored the Lady Knights 14-9 in the fourth quarter, as they cruised to a 55-25 victory.

Kiashona Carter led the Lady Knights in scoring with 13 points. Jasmine Davis saw her first action of the season on a limited basis, scoring three points. Davis hasn’t played in a game this season due to a hand injury suffered in the Lady Knights scrimmage game. Keondra Ausbrooks also scored three points, while Kenya Harris, Quasha Hutcherson, and Demeshia Russell each chipped in with two points in the defeat.

The Lady Knights will face Lamar County in their next contest on Friday at 7 p.m. The game will be the first round of the Lamar County Christmas Classic.