The Riverdale Lady Warriors did not expect their game at Kenwood on Thursday night to be a close one. Yet, they only led by two points after the first quarter and nine at halftime.
Head coach Keri O’Neal knew that adjustments were necessary.
“We’ve got to play with urgency,” she said. “We’ve just got to come out and be ready to play from the tip. We cannot put ourselves in the spot we were in, and we’re a work in progress and we’ve got to trust the process.”
And so, in the second half, the urgency was there. By the end of the third quarter, their lead had ballooned to 18 points, and the final score was 72-45 in favor of Riverdale over the Lady Knights.
Their defense led to offense, especially in the second half. Kenwood coughed up 11 turnovers in the third quarter alone, and the Lady Warriors notched 53 points in the latter 16 minutes.
Kenwood head coach Shameca Gardner didn’t feel that all the turnovers were earned, though, and that her girls could have done a better job of protecting the basketball.
“It was definitely us,” Gardner said. “We had 11 turnovers in the third quarter, and it was all on us. Making passes, making floaters. Those mistakes were on us. We beat ourselves tonight.
“The first half, we didn’t turn the ball over as much. The second half, we turned the ball over a lot. If we continue to control the basketball and control our passes, we’re going to be alright.”
The Lady Knights have confidence despite the loss. Freshman forward Yazmine Pearson poured in 18 points, and junior Iyanna Curtis added 12 points, 10 of which came in the second half.
“That’s better than what we had last year,” Gardner said. “We had six players, and I guarantee you we only could rely on one. This year we got a little more depth. I’m pretty excited, we’re going to be right there with everyone else.”
Unfortunately for them, they were no match for Riverdale’s Acacia Hayes, who exploded for 30 points, 12 of which came from the charity stripe.
Now 1-1, the Lady Warriors will focus on the East Hamilton Hurricanes, who they’ll visit on Tuesday, Nov. 23. Kenwood’s next game will be the same night against the Rossview Lady Hawks.
BOX SCORE
Riverdale (72): Acacia Hayes 30, Ella Haney 15, Kyndal Grear 8, Norah Haney 7, Ava McGue 4, Manvela Mazza 3, Beyoncé Castillo, Max De La Fuente 2.
Kenwood (45): Yazmine Pearson 18, Iyanna Curtis 12, Tamaria Arnold 10, Demetria Duncan 3, Neveah Mann 2.
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