SMITHVILLE – The Taylor Lady Ducks traveled to Smithville Friday night for a district matchup and left with a victory.
The 58-44 win over Smithville was the fifth district win for the Lady Ducks this season and is their third in a row.
The Lady Ducks got their starting center, sophomore Kionayh Rivers, back in action and she made an immediate impact. Early in the game, Smithville was looking to have a four-point lead in the first 30 seconds, but Rivers swatted a shot attempt away and followed in up with a steal.
The defensive effort from Rivers helped the Lady Ducks settle into the game, but after the first quarter the Lady Ducks were still down on the scoreboard. Coming into the second quarter the Lady Ducks looked to one of their leaders to get them back into the game.
Down 18-14, junior Ansley Reed was left wide open for back-to-back three-point scores to give the Lady Ducks a 22-18 lead. Shortly after, right before halftime, sophomore Sohpia Fisher stole the ball and and led a fast break to score an easy layup and extend the lead.
The Lady Ducks took a small lead into halftime and looked to put the game away in the third quarter. Reed again showed why she has been on the varsity roster since she was a freshman by knocking down another threepointer third quarter.
As the quarter went on, the Lady Ducks built up a 32-25 lead over Smithville, and Rivers blocked another shot leading to a fast break from Reed and two more points on the board for the Lady Ducks. Reed would then add two blocks to her stat line in the fourth quarter putting a nice cherry on top of her dominating game.
Rivers and Reed are the top two players in the district when it comes to blocks, and they proved why in their victory Friday. The Lady Ducks finished with seven total blocks as a team, four of which were from Rivers and Reed.
The Lady Ducks have been on a roll as of late in district play, and they are still playing with a chip on their shoulder to prove the doubters wrong with their next opportunity coming Tuesday, Jan. 17, when they host Austin Achieve at the Duck Pond.
Lady Ducks break down their huddle after a timeout.
Photo by Evan Hale
Lady Ducks sophomore Charitee Franklin passes the ball to an open teammate.
Photo by Evan Hale\\
