Lee Ladies top Giants

R.E. Lee held Waynesboro to five first-half points Friday night and cruised to a 58-20 Valley District win.

Lee’s Angela Mickens was the only player in the contest to reach double figures, ending up with 24, and scored the first seven points of the game.

Carter Thompson’s first 3-pointer made it 10-0 Lee Ladies and Brie Moore put the Giants on the scoreboard with 2:27 left in the first quarter.

The Lee Ladies (14-4, 8-0 Valley District) committed seven turnovers in the first frame, but they were offset by Waynesboro’s struggles shooting the ball.

“We struggle on offense, we know that, and it’s something we’ve been addressing all year,” Waynesboro head coach James Eavey said. “Early in the season, we weren’t shooting the ball a lot, so once we start shooting the ball more, good things can happen.”

A Katelyn Corbett trey pushed the Lee advantage to 26-5 at the break.

Mickens got the second half started with a steal and ensuing full-court layup, and Lee scored on four of its first five possessions of the third.

The Giants’ offense gained traction in the quarter as well, scoring 10 points.

Tajah Miller’s basket in the game’s final 10 seconds gave Waynesboro 20 points on the night.

Miller and Destynie Martz tied for a team-high six points.

“I’m very proud of the girls’ effort,” Eavey said. “We hustled, we rebounded, we went after every single loose ball, I’ve got post players making great post moves, I’ve got my guards attacking the basket and we’re chucking up a lot of shots.”

Lee head coach Jeremy Hartman was pleased to be in the wins column again, but not so much with how the Giants outrebounded his Lee Ladies at many points throughout the game.

“The focus has got to be on rebounds. Most of the time, we only had one black shirt under there trying to get a rebound, and that’s just not going to cut it the rest of the way,” he said. “For a team that has bigger aspirations than a district championship – trying to win a state championship – we’ve got to correct that and get better.”

Criana Dunnings was Lee’s second-highest scorer with seven points.

The Giants (2-15, 1-8 Valley District) will take a road trip to Rockbridge on Wednesday, while the Lee Ladies host Fort Defiance on Tuesday.