LEXINGTON, Ga. – The Social Circle Redskins traveled to Independence Hall on Friday, Nov. 21, to face off against their former region rivals, the Oglethorpe County Patriots. Both teams failed to capitalize in the offensive zone, allowing the Patriots to pull away.
Defense shows grit while offensive struggles continue for Lady Redskins in 53-39 loss
With key players Kyla Head and Laela Guy absent, traveling with the football team to their playoff matchup against Haralson County, the Lady Redskins found themselves fighting uphill all night in Independence Hall.
Entering Friday night, the Lady Redskins found themselves on a two-game slide, averaging a meager 25.67 points per game.
“We definitely should have run our plays better. We were missing some key offensive players tonight, which hurt us a bit,” said Social Circle head coach Gracie Brunel.
The Lady Patriots opened up scoring quickly, stretching the Redskins’ defense around the perimeter. Senior Elin Turner was the first of four Lady Patriots to score in the first quarter, knocking down a mid-range two-pointer to open up scoring.
A layup for sophomore Emirrah Dowell put the Lady Redskins on the board shortly after
Senior Carlie Gabriel was next, hitting a long-range 2-pointer to extend the Patriots' lead, a signal for things to come. A layup for sophomore Emirrah Dowell put the Lady Redskins on the board shortly after.
Together, Turner and Gabriel combined for 11 points in the first quarter, pushing the Lady Pats out ot an 18-9 lead. The Lady Patriots’ surge carried into the opening minutes of the second quarter with a 7-2 run, putting them up 23-11, thanks to a plethora of Social Circle turnovers.
Things then began to click for the Lady Redskins, who tightened up defensively, cleaning up any missed shots or loose balls in the defensive zone.
“I tell them that defense wins playoffs and games, so if we start defensively now, everybody's going to notice that we're a good defensive team,” Brunel said. “We work on it a lot. Defense means everything to me.”
On the other side of the court, juniors Jermeria Cost and Alexis Mulkey entered the stat sheet with points in the paint, while sophomore Brielle Price knocked down a 3-pointer, keeping Oglethorpe’s lead within a reachable nine points.
Price was the Lady Reskins’ leading scorer, totaling 13 points on the night. Behind her was senior Kara Taylor, who scored 11.
“She's [Price] kind of our leader right now, and they [Price and Taylor] work good together,” Brunel said. “They've been together for a while, and they were building off of each other tonight.”
Despite Price and Taylor’s successes, however, the Lady Redskins offense still felt lackluster. The Lady Redskins went 12-21 from the free-throw line, struggled to find offensive rebounds and were plagued by missed layups.
“We definitely should have run our plays better. We were missing a key offensive player tonight, so it kind of hurt us a little bit. But you know, if we run our plays right, we'll be more successful,” Head Coach Gracie Brunel said.
The third quarter saw the most scoring of the night; Oglethorpe outscored Social Circle 18-13. In contrast, the fourth quarter was a quiet one; neither team scored more than 10 points. The game ended with a 53-39 Oglethorpe victory. The loss drops the Lady Redskins to 1-4 on the year.
“I just want them to stay confident. I don't want them to lose that spark or confidence. You know, I preach a lot that we’re a family, and I just want them to stick as a family over the few games, because, you know, I'm a new coach this year with a whole new team. So as long as we stay together, we're going to be all right in the long run,” Brunel said.
Redskins’ 4th quarter surge falls short in a 42-40 nailbiter
Social Circle and Oglethorpe County’s boys basketball team found themselves locked in a battle of attrition, with neither team claiming a lead greater than 10 points.
Overall, the Redskins felt like the more explosive team, forcing turnovers and holding Oglethorpe to their lowest point total in three games. However, they were inefficient in the offensive half, leaving points on the floor in key moments.
“We went 10 to 19 from the free throw line, two for 16 from three, and had about 10 missed layups. I mean, we didn't execute,” Social Circle head coach Norman Jones said. “This was our first game. I think we started off anxious, guys missing shots that they normally make. We'll be alright.”
Defensively, the Redskins dominated in the paint, attacking the rim and securing any boards left by the Patriots.
“Defense, rebounding; it’s non-negotiable,” Jones said. “We don't make excuses.”
After finishing the first quarter up 9-7, the Redskins offense stalled, allowing Oglethorpe’s Omari Huggs to tie the game at 18 right before halftime.
The game remained close after the break, with Oglethorpe holding a slim 31-29 heading into the fourth quarter. Free-throw inefficiency haunted the Redskins in the third quarter, as they missed five out of 10 from the line.
In contrast, the Patriots converted three of their four free throws in the third, allowing momentum to swing back in their favor as the offense remained efficient.
The Patriots' momentum continued in the early fourth quarter, thanks to an Isiah Ross three-pointer. The Redskins then missed another layup, allowing Ross to sink a mid-range shot to extend the lead to 36-29 with 6:40 left in the game.
A few possessions later, Social Circle’s Damien Phelp drew a shooting foul on a layup. Phelp, who made both of his two free throws in the first half, sank the free throw, narrowing the Patriots' lead to five.
Oglethorpe’s Malik Forshee immediately answered, sinking a three-pointer to give the Patriots a 39-32 lead, the largest of the night, with 5:40 left in the fourth quarter.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the Redskins dug in. A pair of Phelps buckets sandwiched a Cayden Redd layup as they clawed their way back into the game.
Beginning to feel the pressure, Huggs stepped up for the Patriots again, knocking down a layup, giving the Patriots a 41-38 lead, with just over a minute left in the game.
On the next possession, Redskins Le’Son Nelson drew a foul, sinking both of his free throws, bringing the Redskins within one possession of the Patriots’ 41-40 lead.
With under 10 seconds left, Oglethorpe’s Brennan Brown let one fly from outside the three-point arc. The shot was off the mark, and Oglethorpe’s Malik Forshee recovered the rebound. Forshee drew a shooting foul on the ensuing layup and was sent to the free-throw line.
After sinking the first shot, Forshee missed the second, giving the Redskins the chance to force overtime with a two-pointer or win with a three-pointer.
After an Oglethorpe kickball foul, the Redskins found themselves in offensive territory with 0.9 seconds left on the clock. Redd caught the inbound pass and let off a three-point shot, which bounced off the top of the rim as time expired, allowing Oglethorpe to escape with a 42-40 victory. The loss dropped the Redskins to 0-1 on the year.
“We preach mindset, being tough, finishing strong, and we fought to the end,” Jones said. “I'm proud of my guys. We fought to the end, right to the last shot. Sometimes failure is a good thing. It makes you refocus, and we'll be fine… I got to do a better job at having my guys ready and more conditioned so we can play four quarters. I think fatigue got us.”
