As district play continues, Brighton and Covington crossed paths Tuesday evening in the Cardinal’s nest.
Lady Chargers 51, Lady Cardinals 48
Brighton (4-12 overall, 0-4 district) was looking to get a district win over Covington on their home court, but the Whiten duo- who combined for 34 of the team’s 51 points- had something to say about it.
The pair were the only scorers for the Chargers in the first quarter, leading to a 11-8 start, and Alana took control of the next quarter- Shamya Butler aided her with three points since Arianna was scoreless- with two key three-pointers to give them a 22-15 lead before half.
Hoping to close the deal on another district win, Covington had a good lead before Brighton took control in the third as Cassidy Johnson’s nine points helped them out score the Chargers 17-13 going into the fourth. Zakaria Culp was a roll with five points in the quarter before fouling out with 2:04 remaining in the game, but Precious Dennisdan stepped up to be the one to shoot the game-tying free-throw.
Alana, who finished with 28 points, had a chance to call game with a corner three-pointer but the ball spun out of the rim when it made contact.
They may have battled to the end, but the home team ended up falling 51-48 to drop to 0-4 in the district.
Chargers 53, Cardinals 37
Both teams came into the game with the same record in the district of 1-2 and need to win to be right at .500.
Coach Stanley Gatlin and his crew started the game with a rhythm that slowed down the Chargers (11-9 overall, 2-2 district) fast-paced offense, which led to an 11-8 lead from the Cardinals (8-11 overall, 1-3 district).
It was a struggle for the Chargers to score as Holden Warmath had only five points in two quarters, but Jordan Clemons made sure Covington was still in the game, scoring seven of the Chargers’ eleven points in the second. Nick Moore, Jayden McIntyre and Jalen Terry shared the ball as they each had 5+ points for Brighton before the break.
The game continued to be a nail-biter with neither teams having a huge offensive run going into the third, but a three-pointer from Warmath helped space the score by three to enter the fourth 27-24 in Covington’s favor.
The Chargers seized control in the fourth quarter, thanks to perfect free-throw shooting from Clemons who poured in all attempts in seven trips to the line. After a hard fight to find their momentum again, the Cardinals took a 13-point loss and dropped to 1-3 in the district.
Clemons finishes with 26 points and Terry leads all Brighton scorers with 12 points.
Covington will take a break from district games and play Bolivar Central at home on Friday. Brighton will travel to Brownsville to take on Haywood. Each games will begin at 6 p.m.
Author: David Perry
Writer
