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Wes McCard

Sports Editor

The Lady Knights took on a very tough Riverdale team on Friday night, but before the game was even played Upson-Lee earned a victory. After a supposed 42-34 loss to the Lady Bears from Griffin High School on Tuesday night, the Lady Knights and head coach Bart Phillips learned that a protest filed after Tuesday night’s game was ruled in their favor.

According to Phillips, Griffin played two different players two quarters each in a junior varsity game on Tuesday afternoon. Those same two players played in all four quarters of the varsity game. According to GHSA rules, a player can play no more than five quarters in a single day, with the exception being overtime periods. The two Griffin players played six quarters each on Tuesday, which forced them to forfeit the game. The Lady Knights earned a 1-0 victory with the forfeit, a game which could prove costly since it was a sub-region contest.

“My assistant coaches were telling me that those players played a lot in the j.v. game,” said Phillips. “We checked the books after the game and sure enough they played six quarters each. We will take the victory. Any victory is a good one, but a sub-region victory is extra nice.”

The Lady Knights would find themselves hard pressed to earn two sub-region victories in one day, as the Lady Raiders from Riverdale dominated Upson-Lee from the start of the second quarter till the end of the game.

Upson-Lee only trailed 15-12 after the first quarter, but the Lady Knights were outscored 31-13 in the second and third quarters, falling to Riverdale by a 58-37 score.

Jasmine Davis led the Lady Knights with nine points. KeOndra Ausbrooks scored seven of her nine points in the first quarter, Demeshia Russell and Kiashona Carter each tallied six points, while Kenya Harris, Tykeela Gray, and Ekorea Gray each chipped in with two points in the loss.

On Saturday evening, it looked as if Upson-Lee may let Friday night’s performance carry over to their game with Lamar County. The Lady Knights only score 15 points in the first half. Luckily for Upson-Lee, Lamar County also struggled from the field offensively, only scoring 19 points, leading 19-15 at halftime.

After the first half of the game, the Lady Knights came out rejuvenated. Upson-Lee begin to force Lamar County into turnovers with tenacious defense. The Lady Knights also found their shooting stroke, scoring 18 points in the quarter, taking a 33-28 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The five-point lead would be enough as Upson-Lee held on for a 43-38 victory. Kiashona Carter paced the Lady Knights with 15 points, including drilling (2) three pointers. KeOndra Ausbrooks added nine points and nine rebounds, Jasmine Davis also scored nine points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Kenya Harris finished with four points and 10 rebounds. Demeshia Russell added four points, and Tykeela Gray scored two points in the victory.’

The Lady Knights will travel to Clayton County today to take on the No. 5 state ranked Lady Cardinals from Jonesboro High School in a crucial sub-region contest. Tip-off for today’s game is scheduled for 6 p.m.