Lady Hawks play well in Hometown Lenders tournament

The Daleville Lady Hawks made the most of the first Hometown Lenders Dale County Classic Tournament last week.

The tournament tipped off on a high note for the Lady Hawks, who earned a lopsided 41-11 win Nov. 27 against G.W. Long.

Daleville sprinted to an 11-0 lead after the first quarter thanks to a solid press defense which led to points on the other end of the floor.

“We got some steals and some quick layups,” Daleville coach Zach Kelley said. “We just got fouled a little bit and made a couple of free throws. We got the lead early.”

After pitching a shutout in the first quarter, the Lady Hawks’ stingy defense continued in the second. Daleville led 20-3 at the half on the strength of that defense, which Kelley said forced G.W. Long to take outside shots.

“For the first couple of minutes we went into our press and then we fell back into a zone and made them shoot some 3s,” he said. “They kept shooting them so we kept letting them. We got the rebounds on the defensive end. I think our defense was really good tonight.”

Daleville pulled down 38 total rebounds against the Lady Rebels, including 27 defensive boards.

The Lady Hawks led 34-9 after the third quarter.

Along with the starters, the Daleville bench also contributed to the victory.

“All 15 girls got to play significant minutes. We let our starters get some reps and our subs got a lot of reps, too,” Kelley said. “They gave us some good minutes.”

Chyana Blanks led Daleville with eight points. La Tia Fils-Aime’ followed with seven. Jazmin Cephus and Payton Souders each added six. Kiara Blanks scored five. Kristina Amos added three. Jada Brooks and Garry Richard each scored two.

They played (really well) on defense,” Kelley said. “They hustled. They gave 100-percent effort. They played (really well).”

The Lady Hawks also played well in their next game. The win against G.W. Long pitted Daleville against Carroll in the tournament final, which ended in a 57-40 loss for the Lady Hawks.

The game started well for Daleville, and the Lady Hawks led 14-9 at the end of the first quarter.

The Lady Eagles adjusted their defense and outscored Daleville 15-12 in the second frame. The Lady Hawks maintained a 26-24 lead at the half.

Carroll grabbed the lead in the third quarter, and led 40-35 heading into the final frame.

“They ran a zone,” Kelley said. “They ran a little bit of man-to-man and they pressed some. They ran man toward the beginning of the game, and then they dropped into a zone.”

The Lady Eagles’ defense limited Daleville to just five points in the quarter.

Chyana Blanks led the Lady Hawks with 11 points. Richard scored eight. Fils-Aime’, Eternity Hayes and Cephus each added five. Souders and Kiara Blanks scored three points apiece.

“Carroll is a good school,” Kelley said. “They’re a big school, and they’ve got a good basketball program. Being able to hang in with them for four quarters was good to see.”

Finishing second in the tournament is something Kelley believes will benefit the Lady Hawks throughout the season.

“I think it puts us on a good roll,” he said. “We did some good things. I thought we played pretty well for the most part, and I think we can build off (of) that game. I think it gives us some momentum and some confidence.”