Southern Sports and Travel, By Darron Thomas
The 2nd ranked Brookhaven Lady Cougars nailed down the top seed for the upcoming district 4AA tournament with a convincing 42-16 win over #6 Bowling Green. With the win Brookhaven improved to 20-3 overall and 7-0 in district play. Bowling Green started out with a Brittany Cooper 10 foot jumper from the baseline and a Beth Reedy 3-pointer from the wing for an early 5-1 lead with just over three minutes gone in the opening quarter. Brookhaven countered as Laura Beth Wright scored off an offensive rebound and then nailed a 3-pointer from the wing to put the Lady Cougars on top 6-5 at the 2:13 mark. Bowling Green finished the scoring in the first quarter on baskets from Whitney Crowe and Mackayla Dykes for a 9-6 advantage.
(Above) Bowling Green had trouble cracking the Brookhaven defense
Bowling Green increased their lead to 12-6 to open the second quarter as Brittany Cooper hit a 3-pointer at the 7:41 mark. On Brookhaven’s next four possessions it was all Anna Mangold. The junior went baseline and off the glass, scored on an assist from Anna Lofton, laid in a basket on an inbounds pass from Terah Winborne and hit a turnaround jumper from 8 feet to put the Lady Cougars up 14-12 with 5:30 left in the half. Bowling Green’s Mackayla Dykes went end-to end to tie the game at 14-14 but Brookhaven caught fire and finished the quarter with an 8-0 run to take a 22-14 halftime lead. In that run Mary Lindsey Magee hit a jumper from the free throw line, Anna Lofton converted on two free throws, Laura Beth Wright converted a backcourt steal into a basket and Magee had a tip in at the buzzer. 
(Above) Anna Mangold (#33) of Brookhaven with two of her game high 16 points
The third quarter provided just eight points and unfortunately for Bowling Green they all came from Brookhaven. Anna Mangold continued her solid post play as she hit a basket off the glass to put the Lady Cougars up 24-14. Laura Beth Wright pushed the lead out to 27-14 with a 3-pointer at the 1:29 mark and Mangold went baseline for a bucket plus one as the third quarter ended with the home standing Lady Cougars on top 30-14.
Laken Adams scored Bowling Green’s first basket of the second half three minutes into the final quarter but Brookhaven’s pressure defense gave little ground as the Lady Cougars yielded just that one basket the entire second half of play. In the final quarter Mary Lindsey Magee bucketed six points to lead Brookhaven to a 42-16 district win. 
(Above) Terah Winbrone (#14) of Brookhaven draws attention from Caroline Haik (#10) and Mackayla Dykes (#2) of Bowling Green
“Bowling Green got up early but after that I thought we guarded really good,” said Brookhaven head coach Barry Gray. “This was our best defensive game of the year and we had strong post play from Anna Mangold and Mary Magee.”
Anna Mangold led the Lady Cougars with a game high 16 points, Laura Beth Wright added 10 points and 8 rebounds, Mary Magee had 10 points and 7 rebounds and Anna Lofton, Meredith Allen and Haley Langston had 2 apiece.
Brookhaven will host Trinity today.
For Bowling Green Brittany Cooper had 5 points, Mackayla Dykes added 4, Beth Reedy 3 and Laken Adams and Whitney Crowe 2 each.
Bowling Green slips to 19-7 overall and 4-2 in district 4AA play and will host Columbia this afternoon.
BA…6…16…8…12…42
BG…9….5….0….2…16
