The Lady Warriors slaughtered the Stony Point Tigers on Tuesday, Jan. 9 on the Tigers’ home court. Finishing 66-45, the Warriors demonstrated their winning percentage of over 70%. Out of 25 games so far this season, the team has won 18 and made them twenty-ninth in the region. The Tiger’s defense appeared resilient, but after the first half it was clear the Warriors would keep the lead.

“During our pregame in the locker room, we got really pumped and we were showing more energy than normal which is always a good sign,” Meaghan Hendricks ‘18 said. “We know in our district we have to beat Stony Point, Round Rock, and McNeil to make playoffs, so it was a must win for us.”

Makayla Coy ‘19 jumped for her missed shot and off the rebound scored the first point of the game 45 seconds in. The Warriors began with trivial offensive plays, but stayed on top throughout. A half-court pass from McKenna Lindley ‘18 to Coy and no Tiger defense earned them a slick two points. Annalise Galliguez ‘20 racked up two three-pointers to advance the Warriors 20-9. A layup at the buzzer by Coy ended the first quarter 23-11.

Whether it was a layup to draw the foul or a clean shot, the Warrior’s offense stepped up and consistently made successful plays. Lindley frequently rebounded and even sprinted the full court after a turnover for a layup. With three minutes left in the quarter, the Warriors kept the lead 30-17. Christie French ‘19 and Kooper Giles ‘20 communicated effectively and added to the Warriors’ already winning score and ended the half 37-21.

“Everyone contributed but I think McKenna did amazing after coming back from an injury,” Giles said. “I don’t know if she’s completely healed but she was playing great defense, put pressure on our press, and managed to steal the ball many times.”

After three minutes in the second half, the margin between the teams’ scores grew, 43-24. Coy’s destructive offense aided the team as she pushed past three defensive players and executed a successful layup. To keep the substantial lead, Galliguez fought and stripped the ball from Stony Point offensive players and drive a turnover, the score now 50-27. The Tigers however scored a three-pointer at the buzzer that ended the third quarter, 54-35.

Exhaustion set in boths teams as defense struggled to remain dependable. The Tigers continued to earn three points for their shots which would cost the Warriors from their large lead. Hendricks faked a shot and bounce passed to French who scored two points with a layup. Three minutes left and the scoreboard read 57-41. Hendricks continued to earn points. After Kenzie Beckham ‘21 missed a free throw, she immediately caught the rebound and scored, giving the team two points instead of one, 61-45. The game ended a minute later at 66-45.

Watch the Lady Warriors take on the Round Rock Dragons at Westwood on Friday, Jan. 12 and crush the Rock. Go Wood.