WBB: Lady Bears capture emotional win over SHS
rebounds against Shelbyville Friday. (Photo by John Krueger)
TIMPSON, Tx - The Timpson Lady Bears were all set to go after their first District 22-1A win of the season here at John Herbert Eakin Athletic Complex Friday night, but they were unaware of the tragic news they would get moments before game time.
As they gathered in the locker room to go over final game plans for their matchup with the heavily favored Shelbyville Lady Dragons, they received word that their head coach, Keith Prather, would have to leave before tipoff. Prather had just found out that his 1-year old granddaughter, who had been battling leukemia for months, had passed away.
The news was heartbreaking for the entire Timpson ISD family, as many students and faculty members had been praying for the young child and his family throughout their ordeal. Determined to make their coach proud, the Timpson girls pulled together and willed themselves to a scrappy 37-31 win over their cross-county rival.
The Lady Dragons jumped on top early, and throughout the game seemed to have the advantage over the Lady Bears. Shelbyville led 10-7 after one period, and stretched it to 22-17 by the halftime break. Led by guard Summer Williams, the Lady Dragons outshot the Lady Bears the entire first half.
The second half was a different story, however, as the Lady Dragon shooters went cold, hampered in part by Timpson's non-stop man-to-man defense. As Shelbyville missed shot after shot, it seemed that Timpson's Latoya Cartwright always knew which way the ball would come off the rim, as she pulled down 21 rebounds (13 defensive) for the game. The rest of the Lady Bears totaled 13.
As a result, the Lady Dragons only managed one basket in the third period and were outscored 20-9 in the second half.
Jakelia Caraway led the charge for the Lady Bears, posting six steals, while going 6-of-9 from the free throw line, to finish with 19 points. She also blocked two shots. Cartwright scored five points to go with her stellar performance on the boards. Tammi Harris added six points, all on free throws, while Harley Martin contributed five.
Bears' coach Cody Anthony, who was the third girls' coach two years ago and stepped in for Prather to direct the Lady Bears, was impressed with how the Lady Bears rallied around their leader.
"They just came together and said, 'We need to do this for Coach Prather,'" Anthony stated. "They know it's just a game, but they wanted to give him something to be happy about.
"I felt like our man-to-man defense and our rebounding in the second half won the game. We also won the battle at the free throw line. That's very important in a tight game."
For the night, Timpson shot 13-of-25 from the charity stripe, compared to 4-of-19 for the Lady Dragons.
Summer Williams led the way for Shelbyville, scoring 12 points while snatching six rebounds. Kiera Montgomery added seven points to go with nine boards, while Shameria Lathan put in five points while pulling down six rebounds. Jakera Land added four points and 10 rebounds.
The Lady Bears improve to 5-10 overall, 1-2 in district play. They will be on the road Tuesday night, when they travel to Tenaha to take on the Lady Tigers. Varsity girls action will begin immediately after the junior varsity boys game, which tips off at 5:30 p.m. in the Tenaha Special Events Center.
The Lady Dragons will try to bounce back Tuesday when they travel to Beckville to take on the Lady Bearcats. They will also be playing after a junior varsity boys contest that starts at 5:30 p.m.