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PREP BASKETBALL: Lady Eagles start hot to dominate the Lady Seminoles
Lizzie Teasley
Eastside Eagles point guard Lizzie Teasley helped lead the Eagles offense to a dominant win over the Salem Lady Seminoles. Photo by Anthony Banks.

Zach Miles

sports@covnews.com


COVINGTON, Ga. — The Eastside Lady Eagles (5-2, 3-2 Region 4-AAAA) relied on defense early to start the game by sprinting out to a 19-0 run en route to pummeling the Salem Lady Seminoles 62-21 for the team’s fourth straight win on Friday night.

Eastside head coach Gladys King stuck to her philosophy of “defense first” by attacking with a 2-2-1 press early, which proved to be too much for the Salem guards.

The Lady Eagles recorded four steals in the first minute of the game in which the Lady Seminoles only advanced the ball across half-court one time in five possessions.

With 22 first-half turnovers, the Lady Eagles jumped out to a 19-2 lead after the first quarter and got hot from the 3-point line in the second quarter. Junior shooting guard Jada Harrison sparked life into the Lady Eagles offense with a trio of 3-pointers off the bench in the first half.

The Lady Eagles pair of captains Dasia Burgess and T’Niah Douglas caused havoc in the first half combining for six steals and helped the Lady Eagles to a 42-5 lead heading into the locker room.

Despite the 37-point lead, the Lady Eagles didn’t let up to start the second half.

The team began the third quarter on a 12-0 run before Coach King pulled the starters before the end of the quarter. Harrison once again left her mark on the game by adding a 3-pointer during the run in which she was falling to the ground to give her a team-high 14 points on the night.

Sophomore guard Lizzie Teasley was the last of the starters to get pulled from the game with a little over a minute remaining in the third quarter. Teasley added a layup coupled with a three-pointer during the team’s 12-point run and continued to pester the Lady Seminole’s guards with her persistent defense.

Although the Lady Eagles played without the majority of their regulars, the team still outscored the Lady Seminoles 20-16 in the second half.

Following the night’s loss, the Salem Lady Seminoles (2-10, 1-3) will look to turn the season around on the road against Heritage on Tuesday night.

The early domination by the Lady Eagles might prove vital by providing ample rest to the starters late in Friday’s game.

Coach King’s team will look to extend their winning streak Saturday night with a matchup against region rival Druid Hills in the second of back-to-back games. Friday’s win also pushes the team to over .500 in region play and will be a battle for third place against Druid Hills.