When the clock hit zero Tuesday night at the Duck Pond to signal the end of the game, the Lady Ducks found themselves with their sixth win in a row and first place in district.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Taylor fans in attendance stood up to give the Taylor Lady Ducks a loud and passionate standing ovation.
Lady Ducks junior Ansley Reed was blown away by the support her team got from the crowd Tuesday night and was very thankful they were as loud as they were.
“They (the crowd) were absolutely amazing, I have no words. We wanted people to come out and support us, and they showed up and definitely made an impact on the game and that’s what it is all about,” Reed said.
In a game as big as Tuesday, it was a matter of who was going to break first, and these two teams understood that. Points were few and far between Tuesday night, but early on in the first quarter it was the Lady Ducks who were down in the scoreboard.
The Lady Leopards jumped out to a 5-0 lead early in the game and kept the Lady Ducks offense in check. Although she did not have the words to describe the crowd Tuesday night, Reed was the one who got her team fired up.
The crowd erupted after Reed knocked down a wide-open look from three-point range. The Lady Ducks would not stop there, as their potent defense started to come around and started to take the ball away leading to fast breaks and more points.
Despite the 5-0 hole they were in, the Lady Ducks stayed on track and played their game leading to a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Senior Aliyana Chavis said her team is a confident team and even thought the season started rocky for them, they knew they would be able to show people how good they really are at the right time.
“We have always been so confident in our group and we just adopted that mentality ‘keep doubting because we are coming,’” Chavis said. “This team is scary and I think people saw that tonight.”
The Lady Ducks continued their onslaught in the second quarter holding the Lady Leopard offense to only six points while scoring 16 points. The Lady Ducks had a 26-13 lead at halftime and head coach Lawrence Bailey said he told them to be ready because the Lady Leopards were not going down without a fight.
Towards the end of the half Reed went cold offensively missing three consecutive layups on fast breaks. Bailey knew his leader needed a mental reset and subbed her out for sophomore Ursula Rydell.
The team greeted Reed on the bench with positivity knowing she just needed a reset as well while Rydell did everything her coach asked.
“I told her, ‘You played like an absolute beast tonight’ it doesn’t show up on the box score, but she took charges hit free throws and did her job on the defensive end,” Bailey said. “Not many people noticed but Ursula really stepped up and had a great game.”
La Grange dominated the third quarter outscoring Taylor 18-13 in the third. The Lady Ducks were clinging to a 36-31 lead with a couple of seconds left on the clock, and Reed made her presence felt again.
After the first half struggles, Reed was very hard on herself and showed some emotion on the bench. But after seeing that her team had her back, she worked her way out of the struggles by knocking down a three-pointer at the buzzer to re-ignite the crowd.
Reed would finish the game with 18 points, but she said it felt really good to see that one go in.
Heading into the fourth quarter the Lady Ducks knew the Lady Leopards would throw everything they can at them to win the game. Bailey said he only had one message for his team.
“I told them to just finish,” Bailey said. “We worked so hard and practiced so hard and earned our way here we just need to finish.”
Taylor came into the fourth quarter ready for a fight and they definitely got one. The Lady Leopards and Lady Ducks showed their intensity as the clock ticked down for the fourth quarter.
Sophomore Sophia Fisher took the brunt of the rough play, but did not back down. FIsher took over the offense in the fourth racking up a bunch of assists as well as hitting contested shot and knocking down late free throws to seal the game for her team.
Fisher has been called upon by her teammates and coaches as a leader on this team both on and off the court. She stepped up in a really big moment Tuesday night in the fourth quarter and said her role is one that she takes great pride in.
“Coming from a bigger school where I am not seen as much, then coming here and really being able to help my teammates and represent it feels really good,” Fisher said. “We want to be up on those banners, it is really important to us.”
Sitting in first place, the Lady Ducks looks to continue their run when they go on the road to battle the Giddings Lady Buffaloes.
